/08-RRiver_Aug09 by Rapid River Magazine

Diana Wortham Theatre’s 2009/10 Mainstage Music Series opens with fiddler and singer Justin David on September 11. page 5

The Asheville Ballet’s 47th season will include cool jazz, modern, and classical ballet performances. page 12

The Asheville Lyric Opera will present Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” as part of it’s 2009/10 season. page 7

NC Stage Company presents a season full of comedies, including Scott Treadway and Charlie Flynn-McIver in “True West.” page 33

Business Profiles blue Goldsmiths . . . page 11 East Side Optical . . . page 32 Greg Vineyard . . . page 38

Asheville’s Lyric Opera, Choral Society, and Ballet BRAVO • HART Diana Wortham Theatre NC Stage Company

Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance WCU’s Galaxy of Stars

Financial Wellness Forum provides the public with ideas and solutions on how to better manage their personal finances and improve their economic future.

Your Questions Answered Every Thursday Create a Money Mission Statement Part of the Forum’s ‘Take Charge of Your Money, Life & Future’ Series

ASA SPEAKER: Reeta Wolfsohn,

CMSW, Center for Financial Social Work, (828) 658-1919, www.financialsocialwork.com Join Reeta to learn the secret to aligning your spending with your hopes, dreams and wishes. In the process of creating this powerful tool you will discover important self-truths, which will facilitate taking control of your money and gaining control of your life. At the end of this free seminar Reeta Wolfsohn will take your questions. This is such an important seminar that Reeta Wolfsohn will repeat it on Thursday, August 20.

Thursday, August 13, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Mortgage Loan Modifications: Are They a Scam? Is Foreclosure Inevitable? ASA SPEAKERs: Mary Hart, Attorney, and Stefanie Upham, Attorney, The Hart Law Group, (828) 271-4278; David Kanis, Mortgage Banker, Ashford Mortgage Advisors, (828) 350-8886; Anthony Mitchell, Agent/ Owner, Anthony Mitchell Insurance/ AAA, (828) 210-8787

Thursday, August 27, from 6 to 7 p.m.

How to Set Up the Right Bookkeeping System: 10 Mistakes Business Owners Make Part Two of the Forum’s ‘Small Business Boot Camp’ Series

ASA SPEAKER: Mike Sowinski, CPA, CFO Consultants, (828) 712-2913

financial wellness forum

Find Financial Solutions for Free

Thursday, August 6 and Thursday, August 20, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Thurs., September 3, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, and Eldercare Legal Issues Part One of the Forum’s ‘Planning Ahead’ Series

ASA SPEAKER: Mary Hart, Attorney,

The Hart Law Group, (828) 271-4278

Thurs., September 10, from 6 to 7 p.m.

The Power of Paying DOWN Your Mortgage (or Is Refinancing Smarter?) ASA SPEAKER: David Kanis, Mortgage Banker, Ashford Mortgage Advisors, (828) 350-8886

Thurs., September 17, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Savvy Social Security Planning: What Baby Boomers Need to Know to Maximize Retirement Income Part Two of the Forum’s ‘Planning Ahead’ Series

ASA SPEAKER: Doug English, CFP, Scientific Investors, (828) 398-2802

Baby boomers want to know the following: Will Social Security be there for me? How much can I expect to receive? When should I apply for Social Security? How can I maximize my benefits? Will Social Security be enough to live on in retirement? Free and open to the public.

Financial Wellness Forum is the public outreach program of the Asheville Strategic Alliance, a group of community-minded, independent professionals dedicated to improving the financial IQ of private citizens and independent business-owners one seminar, one consultation, one question, one answer, at a time.

These free seminars are open to the public. Each is conducted at the Asheville Strategic Alliance, 149 South Lexington Avenue in Downtown Asheville. Come and bring a friend or family member. Learn together about these effective personal finance methods that can change your life. For details, email: info@financialwellnessforum.com

Follow Your Money Mission Statement – CREATE THE FINANCIAL FUTURE YOU LONG FOR

eeta Wolfsohn, CMSW, of Asheville, North Carolina, founder of the financial social work discipline and the Center for Financial Social Work, explains, “Until behavior changes, nothing changes.” That is why all of her work focuses on creating sustainable, long-term, financial behavioral change. National media, major companies and organizations, along with state governments are embracing her concept. Reeta has been certifying professionals across the United States and internationally to utilize her effective method that inspires hope and change at every economic and educational level. She recently introduced an exceptional consumer program, called “Taking Charge … of Your Money, Your Life and Your Future.” As Wolfsohn puts it succinctly: “This program enables every man and woman to take control of his or her money to gain control of his or her life.” If ever there was a need for an engaging, profound, sincere and professional approach – which educates, motivates and supports financial change – that time is now; Reeta Wolfsohn made the commitment to doing just that, over a decade ago. “Money is the number one stressor in people’s lives; the number one cause of divorce; the number one reason employees contact their EAP (employee assistance program) department,” said Wolfsohn. “It contributes to most violence, crime, child and domestic abuse. Regardless of the economy, money problems contribute to all types of other problems.” One of Wolfsohn’s first and favorite steps for inspiring change is helping people create a personal Money Mission Statement. “A money mission statement is such a simple and powerful method for aligning your spending choices with your hopes, dreams and wishes,” said Wolfsohn. “It makes certain that you ask yourself whether or not a particular expenditure supports your money mission statement.” What are some examples of those who have crafted an effective money mission

Byron Belzak

statement? Example one: “I will just say, No, to those who want me to spend money on them that I can’t afford to spend.” Another example: “I am responsible for my financial future, and I am ready to make it wonderful.” Yet, another example: “I choose to be more money-wise to improve my life and my future.” “It’s all very personal, and people know when they are following their money mission statement and when they’re not,” said Wolfsohn. “It’s an effective, easy, satisfying way to begin to take control. It works.”

To Learn More Reeta Wolfsohn will be conducting two FREE seminars in August 2009 to show how to create and follow your Money Mission Statement. It is part of a public outreach program, known as the Financial Wellness Forum. She will conduct two hour-long seminars open to the public at no charge or obligation on August 6 and 20, 2009, beginning at 6 p.m. They will be held at the Asheville Strategic Alliance, “Home of the Financial Wellness Forum,” at 149 South Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. The public is invited to attend. Visit the Calendar of Events category at www.financialwellnessforum.com, or the Financial Social Work website at www. financialsocialwork.com. Copyright 2009 Asheville Strategic Alliance and Financial Social Work

Reeta Wolfsohn, Cmsw has been a keynote speaker at numerous national and state conferences. CNN Money, Associated Press, and National Public Radio have interviewed her because of her unique approach to helping people change their personal financial behavior. She is the founder of the Center for Financial Social Work. She can be contacted at reeta@ financialsocialwork.com or visit www. financialsocialwork.com.

For more free seminar listings and details, visit: www.FinancialWellnessForum.com August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

poetry corner

Rapid River

ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE

Annual Poetry Contest

Any unpublished poem 35 lines or less is wanted!

5 Winners

Prizes Include: Tickets to local concerts (TBA); Tickets to the Opera; Mellow Mushroom Gift Certificates; and books from Malaprops. Deadline December 19th. Winning poems will be printed in the February 2010 issue. Reading fee: $5 for three poems. For more info call (828) 258-3752. Send poems to: Rapid River Poetry Contest 85 N. Main St. Canton, NC 28716

ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE

Good Friends I only want to help you Let me come and help you I know that I can help you As good friends should Walk with me to the water The good and cleansing water Walk with me to the water The water will help you feel good As I bathe your body Washing pain from your body As I rinse and dry your body Now you are feeling good Laying upon my blanket With thoughts of you I made this blanket Ribbons-joined-in-circles blanket Made especially for you Tenderly I touch you With oil of sage and sweetgrass I touch you Caressingly I touch you With hands of sage and fingered braids © 2008

Lela Northcross

The Poet:

Lela Northcross is 50 something, lives in Oklahoma and works as a nurse and massage therapist. Hobbies include arts, crafts, and hiking, among other things. This is the first publication of “Good Friends.”

Peter Loewer

Printmaker

Graphos=Studio

Established in 1997 • Volume Twelve, Number Twelve

Publisher/Editor: Dennis Ray Managing Editor: Beth Gossett Marketing: Dennis Ray Staff Photographer: Dennis Ray Layout & Design: Simone Bouyer Poetry Editor: Ted Olson Proofreader: Mary Wilson Accounting: Sharon Cole Distribution: Dennis Ray Contributing Writers:

Danna Anderson, H. Byron Ballard, Byron Belzak, Sarah Benoit, Sierra Bicking, Linda Campanella, James Cassara, Michael Cole, Denise Cook, Lynn Daniel, Amy Downs, Ann Dunn, Peter Eisenbrown, Beth Gossett, Chall Gray, Felicity Green, Steven R. Hageman, Max Hammonds, MD, Phil Hawkins, Pam J. Hecht, Jill Ingram, Phil Juliano, Chip Kaufmann, Michelle Keenan, Amanda Leslie, Peter Loewer, April Nance, Ted Olson, Michael Parker, Gloria Pincu, Dennis Ray, Erin Scholze, David Craig Starkey, Megan Stone, Lori Theriault, Greg Vineyard, Bill Walz, Joe Zinich.

INFO Rapid River Art Magazine is a free monthly publication. Address correspondence to: info@rapidrivermagazine.com or write to:

Rapid River Art Magazine 85 N. Main St. Canton, NC 28716 Phone: (828) 646-0071 www.rapidrivermagazine.com

PO Box 5039 ~ Asheville, NC 28813 email: Spicebush@mtnarea.net

All materials contained herein are owned and copyrighted by Rapid River Art Magazine and the individual contributors unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily correspond with the opinions of Rapid River Art Magazine or the advertisers found herein. © Rapid River Magazine, August 2009 Vol. 12 No. 12

August 2009 www.rapidrivermagazine.com

5 On Stage

Diana Wortham Theatre . . . . . . 5 Asheville Lyric Opera . . . . . . 7 Asheville Choral Society . . . . 8 Asheville Ballet . . . . . . 12 Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance . . 13 Bravo Concerts . . . . . . 15 Asheville Symphony Orchestra . . 15 HART . . . . . . 17 WCU Galaxy of Stars . . . . . . 27 NC Stage Company . . . . . . 33

11Asheville Shops blue . . . . . . 11 East Side Optical . . . 32

14 Columns

James Cassara - Music . . . 14 Michael Parker - Wine . . . . . . 22 Joe Zinich - Beer . . . . . . 23 Bill Walz - Artful Living . . . 28 H. Byron Ballard - Books . . . 30 Ted Olson - Poetry . . . . . . 31 P. Loewer - Thoreau’s Garden . 34 Max Hammonds, MD - Health . . 39

15 Music

Two Cow Garage . . . . . . 15 New Riders of the Purple Sage . . 18

20 Restaurant Guide 24 Movie Reviews 31 Fine Art Folk Art Center . . . . . . 31 Toe River Arts Council . . . . . . 31 Grovewood Gallery . . . . . . 35 16 Patton Fine Art Gallery . . . 35 Greg Vineyard . . . . . . 38

36 What to Do Guide Best in Show by Phil Juliano. . .

™

Callie & Cats by Amy Downs . . . 37 Corgi Tales by Phil Hawkins . . 37 Dragin by Michael Cole. . . 37

Distributed at more than 390 locations throughout eight counties in WNC and South Carolina

August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

cover story

Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place

2009-2010 Mainstage Series

ach year the Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place bass-driven grooves on April 15, 2010. presents nationally and internationally touring acts in The refined music that graces the stage music, dance, and theatre; the 2009/2010 Mainstage is just one form of polished performance at Series features virtuosic musicians Diana Wortham Theatre. The spanning several genres, athletic and grace and movement of the professional passionate dance troupes exploring culture dance troupes and performing art groups through movement, and vibrant and imagialso lend elegance to the Mainstage Series. native professional theatre. On its first U.S. tour, Finland’s smart, Kicking off the season on September 11, imaginative, and inventive Circo Aereo 2009 is Justin David, a songwriter, guitarbrings its contemporary “New Circus” ist, mandolinist, fiddler and singer who is genre to Asheville on October 27 and 28, one of the fastest-rising performers on the 2009. The group blends traditional circus pop/country circuit, a top-five finalist of TV’s arts such as juggling and aerial work with “Nashville Star,” and a featured artist for innovative cabaret theater, movement, and several years on tour with the legendary Roy charming humor. Clark, who says, “Do yourself a favor and A favorite of Asheville audiences, listen to Justin David. As far as playing great the highly unusual, incredibly talented, fiddle, mandolin, being a great singer – he is and gleefully entertaining dance company unequaled.” MOMIX presents works of exceptional This season opener is part of the inventiveness on November 17 and 18, Circo Aereo: Espresso on Mainstage Music Series, which also includes 2009. The slow, sensual, and insistent style stage October 27-28. the Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile fusion of nicholas leichter dance explores (February 20, 2010), virtuosic mandolin culture through movement. They take the player, and the electrifying David Holt and stage on February 26 and 27, 2010. And on the Lightning Bolts (March 27, 2010). MusiMarch 5 and 6, 2010, Complexions Concal performances are highlighted throughout temporary Ballet awakens audiences to a the season, with solo pianist George Winston new, exciting genre that combines the best bringing his melodic folk and stride piano of athleticism, lyricism, technical training styles to the theatre on November 21, 2009. and experience on stage. Al Petteway, Amy White, and Robin Bullock A powerful solo play and two compelcelebrate the 7th annual Swannanoa Solstice ling theatre groups define this season’s Thein two performances on December 20, 2009. atre Series. Kicking it off on October 20 and MOMIX: ReMIX, November One of Hollywood’s most versatile 21, 2009 is America’s foremost radio theatre 17-18. Photo: Don Perdue leading men, Jeff Daniels, who is also an company, L.A. Theatre Works, presenting incredibly talented musician and vocalist, a back-to-back double bill of chills, thrills, takes the stage on January 23, 2010. Married masters of the and great literature with H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and fiddle, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, fire up their Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. bows on February 1 and 2, 2010. Arlo Guthrie and four Coming to the stage on January 15 and 16, 2010 is Bo generations of his family perform together on March 3 and Eason’s Runt of the Litter, a semiautobiographical account 4, 2010. Ireland’s all-star quintet Lúnasa brings its acoustic, of former Houston Oiler Eason’s extraordinary life and career as a defensive back for the Oilers and his personal triumphs despite volatile family dynamics. And the ever-inventive, highly lauded History of the Diana Wortham Theatre Aquila Theatre The Diana Wortham Theatre was conceived in Company returns to Asheville for the late 1980s as part of the Pack Place comone performance plex in downtown Asheville, a project designed each of Henrik to be a catalyst for downtown revitalization. Ibsen’s Enemy of Opening in 1992 the theatre helped bring nightthe People (Februtime activity to a then dormant downtown. ary 5, 2010) and Nearly 20 years later the theatre is an anchor Shakespeare’s As to the vibrant cultural life that identifies downYou Like It (Febtown Asheville. ruary 6, 2010). L.A. Theatre Works present Built as a community resource, the theatre is This is just “The Lost World” October 20-21. a sampling of home to more than 20 local arts groups such Cast subject to change. the fine perforas the Asheville Lyric Opera, Terpsicorps mances that Diana Theatre of Dance, WNC Jazz Society, Asheville Wortham Theatre offers in its 2009-2010 Mainstage Season. Puppetry Alliance, and The Asheville Ballet. For the full schedule of performances, more information, The theatre is named in honor of Asheville resitickets, or to request a season brochure, please call the Pack dent Diana Gayle Wortham, a major supporter Place box office at (828) 257-4530, or visit online at www. of the development of Pack Place. dwtheatre.com.

MOMIX: ReMIX, November 17-18. Photo: Don Perdue

George Winston performs November 21. Photo: Joe del Tufo

Justin David opens the season on September 11.

2009-2010 Season Schedules Asheville Lyric Opera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 7 Asheville Choral Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 8 Asheville Ballet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 12 Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 13 BRAVO Concert Series. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 16 Asheville Symphony Orchestra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 16 HART. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 17 WCU Galaxy of Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 27 NC Stage Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 33

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009

August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

performance

Asheville Lyric Opera

2009-2010 Season

he Asheville Lyric Opera (ALO) and season sponsor, The Grand Bohemian Hotel announces its 11th season for 2009-2010 which will feature three classic opera productions and a festive Christmas Concert. The productions, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (October 9 and 10, 2009), Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale (January 29 and 30), and Georges Bizet’s Carmen (April 9 and 10, 2010) are three classics that will entertain and inspire audiences. The ALO Christmas Concert (November 20) will feature beloved solo and ensemble music to ring in the Holiday Season on the eve of the 63rd Annual Asheville Holiday Parade. “This season will bring audiences three of the most important operas ever written, starring some of most amazing talent out there,” said David Starkey, General and Artistic Director for Asheville Lyric Opera (ALO). “After the show of support we received in our 10th Anniversary season, we wanted to offer Asheville something a little different, so we are doing three classic cornerstones of music and opera. Le Nozze di Figaro, aside from being a thrilling comedic opera, is one of the greatest pieces of music Mozart, or any composer, ever wrote; Carmen is a lightening bolt of soaring music and biting drama; and, of course, Don Pasquale is an absolutely brilliant laughout-loud comedy. We think that Asheville deserves opera this spectacular.” ALO continues to expand its reputation as one of the most exciting regional opera companies in the country. As the only touring opera production company in the nation, ALO will also present Le Nozze di Figaro in co-production with the Bryan Symphony Orchestra in performance at Tennessee Tech University, and will showcase Carmen as a co-production with the Mansfield Symphony in Mansfield, Ohio. The company continues to feature some of the most respected names in the business, and offers an opera experience in a venue, Diana Wortham Theatre, described as “acoustically perfect” by performers. The 2009-2010 season features several important debuts, including that of maestro Dan Allcott, long time conductor of the Atlanta Ballet and maestro Robert Franz, Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony and Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic. The season will also feature the return of maestro Dr. Robert Hart Baker, former Artistic Director of the Asheville Symphony, Jon Truitt, Director of Opera at University of Evansville and director David

Toulson of Central City and Washington National Opera companies. ALO Assistant Music Director and director of the Brevard College Choirs, Dr. Michael Porter, will lead soloists and ensembles in the Christmas Concert. “By putting together the best possible leadership team we could assemble, we can guarantee that the end-results, the shows themselves, will be thrilling,” says Starkey. “Each season I am amazed at the astonishing level of professionals, working around the world, who truly want to be part of what we’re doing at ALO because they know what a unique place Asheville is, and about our vision and our artistic standards for our community.” As part of their dedication to making the arts affordable, ALO is stepping-up their artistic offering this season without raising ticket prices. Season tickets are on sale now with subscriptions ranging from $135 to $105, and include tickets to all three operas. Christmas Concert tickets will be sold separately. Single tickets for Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Pasquale, and Carmen go on sale September 1 with prices ranging from $28 to $49. Preview dress rehearsal tickets are available for $18 (adults) and $12 seniors $5 for students. Founded in 1999, the Asheville Lyric Opera is recognized for its excellent artistic productions of operatic repertoire that entertain and inspire audiences, featuring established and emerging operatic talent from across the nation. Its award winning outreach programs bring opera to thousands of school age children each year through out Western North Carolina. For information on season or dress rehearsal tickets, group discounts, or for a season brochure, please contact ALO at (828) 236-0670 or visit www.ashevillelyric.org. Single tickets will be sold through Diana Wortham Theatre box office at (828) 2574530, www.dwtheatre.com.

If You Go:

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009

performance

Asheville Choral Society

he Asheville Choral Society announces its three concert season for 2009 - 2010. Thrill to the sounds of bells, brass, percussion, and organ at Ring in the Holidays Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, at Central United Methodist Church. This concert includes choral pieces by Ward Swingle, Libby Larson (featuring handbells), R. Vaughan Williams and John Rutter and African, Calypso and Jamaican carols. On Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, Central United Methodist Church will ring with Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. This exciting and beloved masterpiece will be performed with guest soloists and chamber orchestra. The season concludes with ACS’ perennial favorite pops concert on Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23, at Diana Wortham Theatre. A swing band will accompany the chorus as it presents Unforgettable with the best of American popular and show music - timeless classics from the 1930’s to the present day.

August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

2009-2010 Season

Lenora Thom, Music Director

Performances are at 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 4 p.m. on Sundays. For further information, or to request a season brochure, please call (828) 232-2060 or email info@ashevillechoralsociety.org. More information can be found online at www. ashevillechoralsociety.org.

If You Go:

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009

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10 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

noteworthy

A Harmonious History of the Music in the Schools Program

ince its inception in 2003, the Asheville Symphony Guild’s Music in the Schools Program has expanded to 25 live orchestral performances and has reached 7,000 third, fourth and fifth grade students in the Asheville and Buncombe County schools. This program began with an in-school Docent Program (now the Music Education Program) that sent Guild volunteers and symphony musicians into schools to provide an overview of orchestral instruments and music. From the first program during the 2002-2003 school year, the Guild significantly expanded this potentially valuable school resource. Year one brought a one-hour live musical program to approximately 450 third grade students in three Buncombe County elementary schools. A quintet of brass musicians explained their instruments, played a number of selections and responded to lively questions from the youngsters. We then expanded the brass program to three additional schools and added wood-

Gloria Pincu

winds to the fourth graders in the original three schools. In addition, we invited parents of the students to attend the performances. During 2003-2004, the program reached about 1,300 students and their families. By the end of 2005 the program introduced the brass, the woodwinds and the strings family into the school system. And, during the 2007-2008 school year the committee decided to go to each Buncombe County and Asheville City school to perform for all third, fourth, and fifth graders. Our harmonious group of volunteers have brought part of our symphonic musical family into our community schools. In addition, we have helped in making the community aware of the Asheville Symphony and its talented musicians. For more information please visit www.asheville symphony.org.

asheville shops

Peridot:

a Gem of a Birthstone for August

eridot is one of the only inclusions are called that gemstones that occurs because they closely resemble in only one color; an the aquatic plant. Actually unusually bright olive the disc-like stress fracture green. The amount is caused by the presence of of iron present in the crystal another mineral such as chrostructure is what determines mite, spinel or biotite. the intensity and darkness of These lily pad inclusions the olive color. The color can appear as little flowers deep range from a true yellow-green inside the stone and are not through olive green to a more considered to be a negabrownish green. The more valtive factor when choosing a ued color is a dark olive green peridot to own. In fact, among although most people prefer many collectors, these imperthe lighter more spring-like fections are quite cherished. green. However, the internal black Peridot is actually the carbon spots that occur quite gem variety of olivine. Olivine commonly do diminish the is made up of two minerals: beauty and the overall investfayalite and fosterite. Although ment quality of the peridot. olivine itself is a very abundant In addition to the very material, gem quality peridot large find in Pakistan, peridot is actually quite rare. Peridot is mined all over the world, (pronounced pair-a-doe) is including here in North a unique gemstone, as it is Carolina and other parts of the the only gemstone found in U.S. Some of the best quality meteorites. darker green peridot comes The word ‘Peridot’ is from the San Carlos Reservaderived from the Greek work tion in Arizona, mined by ‘peridona’ which means ‘to native Americans. give richness’. It is the birthBeautiful lighter lime The only stone for August and is very green peridot is mined in Kegemstone found appropriate for a summer nya where the mine is actually birthstone with its lime green owned by the community of in meteorites. color. It isn’t the hardest stone people in the area. Most of the around; it only measures a people who live there work 6.5.to 7 on the Mohs scale (hardest being a in some way for the mine and the money 10 on the scale, which is the diamond). derived from the sale of their peridot goes to Peridot is a very old gemstone that support the community’s schools, hospital was used in early Egyptian jewelry. Durand other needs for the people in this area. ing the Baroque period it enjoyed immense This Kenyan material is handcut and is popularity, but then disappeared altogether. being used in beautiful unique jewelry right But suddenly, around 1995, peridot started here in our area. The two women who own popping up at all the gem shows around the blue, a gallery in Biltmore Village have for world. The reason for this was a new find more than a decade supported this comhad been made in Pakistan at an elevation of munity effort by designing pieces of jewelry about 13,000 feet up in the mountains. with Kenyan peridot as the focus stone in Although the conditions for mintheir work. ing were less than desirable and the actual The stunning lime green stones are mining could only occur in the summer highlighted by the four colors of 14k gold months, they were finding unusually large, Lynn Daniel and Susan West use in their fine crystals there. This particular deposit one of a kind designs. The two women deturned out to be so rich that the demand for signers also at this time are featuring peridot peridot will be satisfied for years to come. stones with those fascinating lily pads presThe largest to date cut specimen came ent within the stone itself. from this Pakistani mine. It is 310 carats and resides in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. The rarest of all the If you would like to see August’s birthstone, peridots are cat’s eye and star peridots and peridot, up close and personal, please visit they are both virtually priceless. blue in historic Biltmore Village, Monday One of the most fascinating aspects of thru Saturday, 10:30 to 6 p.m. and Sundays peridot are what is known as the lily pad 12 to 4 p.m. Or you can visit their website, inclusions in the depth of the stone. These bluegoldsmiths.com.

Tell them you saw it in Rapid River Magazine

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 11

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12 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

he Asheville Ballet announces its 2009-2010 season. We have been dancing for Asheville since before man walked on the moon! The Asheville Ballet’s upcoming 47th Anniversary Season at Diana Wortham Theatre features three very different dance events, from cool jazz and powerful modern to classical ballet. All performances are family friendly – a perfect opportunity to introduce young people to the wonders of great art. Performances are scheduled to accommodate children, seniors and those who enjoy late dining, with matinees and early evening shows. Dancers’ Choice is the season opener. There will be two shows on Saturday October 4 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The production is a delightful smorgasbord of Asheville Ballet dancers’ favorite works ever performed. Fans will have the opportunity to revisit well-loved moments from the Ballet’s decades-old repertoire, and newcomers will enjoy some of the highlights of past seasons. In addition, audience members will be able to vote for dance works they remember and would like to see again. The winners will be included in the opening production of the 2010-11 Season: Audience Choice. The Nutcracker has been a holiday tradition in Asheville for 37 years. There will be five opportunities the weekend of December 4 for audiences to be charmed yet again by ballet’s greatest classic. This all-time favorite story of Clara’s magical midnight trip to the Land of Sweets is classical ballet at its best. Precision drummers from Asheville High School’s award-winning marching band will execute fancy formations as they combat the evil rats. The exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy and her handsome Cavalier will dance their eternally lovely pas de deux. And beautiful flowers will waltz, and waltz, and waltz. An American in Paris will headline the Spring Concert. There will be two shows on Saturday, May 8 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Who can’t hum a few bars of George Gershwin’s multi-layered composition? This story about American expatriate life in early twentieth century Paris is brought to exciting and romantic life by Asheville Ballet’s versatile dancers. The characters love, lose, create, and love again in a happily-ever-after fairy tale told in jazz and classical ballet. “Asheville is so fortunate to have a ballet company of this caliber,” says Ann Dunn, Artistic Director. “The community has, essentially, a year-long resident repertoire company. Seasoned ballet fans and novices alike have the opportunity

2009-2010 Season

to watch consummate professionals perform a wide variety of roles, from classical to contemporary. Allison Hertzberg, Amy Kohler, Sarah McGinnis, Cassie Woods, Lyle Laney, Amy Strickland – these are names that have come to stand for powerful, meaningful, memorable performances. In addition, international guest artists and advanced local pre-professionals continue to provide challenges and freshness.” Asheville Ballet productions reflect the region’s varied interests. In addition to an ongoing relationship with the Biltmore Estate, work has been produced for fund-raisers (the Health Adventure, the Arts Council), civic events (Martin Luther King Day, Bele Chere Festival), and commercial events (the Miss Asheville pageant, opening for the Pointer Sisters). Since its inception, Asheville Ballet has produced both cutting edge interdisciplinary work and full-length major work. The company has collaborated with other local art agencies (the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Bravo Concerts, Asheville Community Theater, Asheville Lyric Opera), and has worked live with the area’s major musical, poetic and visual artists. In addition to promoting new work and a professional ballet company for our region, Asheville Ballet offers an annual lecture series on dance appreciation, in co-ordination with other local dance presenters, and generates educational articles on dance history and appreciation for national and local publications. The company has built a full library of dance-related materials. Asheville Ballet’s commitment to supporting its professional adult members is evidenced by its challenging and stimulating performances, choreography, and teaching opportunities. The company also continues to nurture the careers of advanced youth members. Dancers who have worked with the ballet have performed with Alvin Ailey, Kirov Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Fort Worth Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Hartford Ballet, Boston Ballet, Geneva Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. Company dancers have appeared in Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and have won titles all the way up to Miss and Mrs. America. They have also been accepted at the schools of the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Juilliard, Boston Ballet, José Limón, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Robert Joffrey, and The Dance Conservatory at Purchase. ‘Ballet’ continued on pg. 13

performance

Terpsicorps

erpsicorps Theatre of Dance is North Carolina’s summertime dance company. Based in Asheville, it brings dancers in from companies across the country during their summer downtime, creating an ensemble comprised of some of the country’s most remarkable dancers.

“The Scarlet Letter,” choreography by Heather Maloy. Photo: Jeff Cravotta

A combination of ballet and modern dance, as well as theater, live music and visual art, this innovative company creates

2009-2010 Season

an atmosphere at its performances that is artistically unique and yet accessible to theater goers of all ages and backgrounds. Past collaborators have included the Firecracker Jazz Band, projection artist Craig Hobbs, cartoonist Eric Knisely, sculptor John Payne, painter Ben Betsalel and singer/actor Matthew Bivins from the band Jump, Little Children. The repertoire is a combination of original works created by artistic director Heather Maloy and re-stagings of works by former NC Dance Theatre artistic director, Salvatore Aiello. Performances take place in downtown Asheville at the Diana Wortham Theatre. Word about Terpsicorps is spreading quickly. Ken Keuffel of the Winston-Salem Journal wrote, “So many diverse and wonderful things happened during last night’s presentation by the Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, that I’m hard pressed to mention them all in one review. But the bottom line is clear: Terpsicorps deserves to return here again and again.”

If You Go:

For more information visit www.terpsicorps.org or call (828) 252-6342.

Asheville Symphony Children’s Chorus The Asheville Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Timothy Wilds as Interim Director of the Asheville Symphony Children’s Chorus. “It is an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to carry on the tradition of beautiful singing and music making that Susan Hensley has established. I look forward to sharing my years of experience as a singer, performer, music educator, voice

‘Ballet’ continued from page 12

Asheville Ballet has created and found funding for scholarships for advanced dancers to pursue professional work in New York and Europe, and for underprivileged children to study dance in Asheville. The company has worked with Project Steam, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Helpmate, Elida Home, Presbyterian Home for Children, and local churches to locate and encourage new dancers and dance-appreciators. The Tix for Tots program makes hundreds of tickets available to introduce children to the wonders of dance.

teacher and choral director with the children of the chorus.” ~ Mr. Timothy Wilds Placement hearings (for new singers in grades 4-8) will be held on Tuesday, August 18 and 25 at Biltmore United Methodist Church from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Call (828) 333-1700 to schedule an appointment. Rehearsals will resume Tuesday, September 1 at Biltmore United Methodist Church from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.

Season tickets are currently on sale, with subscriptions ranging from $135 to $105. Single tickets go on sale August 15 with regular prices ranging from $28 to $49. Group rates and special rates for seniors and students are available for certain sections of certain shows. For information on season tickets, group discounts, or for a season brochure, please contact Asheville Ballet at (828) 258-1028. Single tickets will be sold through Diana Wortham Theatre box office at (828) 2574530 starting August 15, 2008.

If You Go:

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 13

August CD Reviews by James Cassara Akron Family Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free Dead Oceans Records

It’s entirely possible that a few years down the road, after the Akron Family have finally shed their reputation as one of pop’s most exasperating bands, that Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free will be rightly seen as the album that turned the tide and put them in a distinct and more exacting direction. Following the departure of founding member Ryan Vanderhoof the remaining Family members — Seth Olinsky, Miles Seaton, and Dana Janssen — have gamely trudged on, enlisting the skills of engineer and co-producer Chris Koltay and a host of other musicians to concoct their most audacious album yet. Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free is a postpsychedelic free for all, an unabashed salute to prog rock intermingled with unexpected (and wholly welcome) shards of George Clinton like funk and contemporary freak folk. “Everyone Is Guilty” which kicks off the album in wildly successful fashion, weaves six changes in tempo into a rhythmic tapestry that somehow manages to show off the band’s influences while proudly declaring their independent creed. It’s slinky, hypnotic, and simply beautiful. Likewise with “Sun Will Shine,” a repetitive drone that should sink under the weight of its own pretentions but instead explodes with an effortless ferocity that few bands would attempt, let alone pull off. Most startling (in terms of the band’s previous offerings) is the closing “Last Year.” Two beautifully eloquent lines: “Last year was a hard year, for a very long time/ This year is gonna be ours” are delivered in three part harmony that sound as if CSN had gone gospel. Long after the song is over the harmonies continue to resonate, staying in your subconscious like a pleasant memory. So too will the album. This newly configured version of Akron Family are as wildly creative as ever, yet in a more focused and concise manner. Where this new found single-mindedness takes them is anyone’s guess, but you can bet it won’t be the middle of the road. ****

Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey Here and Now

Holsapple and Stamey have made their reputation as purveyors of translucent 14 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

spinning discs

Back as always with an assortment of offerings intended to intrigue and delight. This time around I’m skipping all over the musical soundscape with the confidence that Rapid River’s discriminating readers will ever so slightly indulge me!

(if sometimes lightweight) tunes echoing the radio friendly days of the misty sixties, Byrds like jangling guitars mixed with radiant harmonies a la the Beau Brummels. A decade after the dissolution of the ‘80s indie-pop group, the dBs, the pair reunited in 1991 with Mavericks, an album that served as a near perfect schematic for succinct and creative songwriting wrapped in three to four minute dabbling. And while the long awaited hERE aND nOW falls short of such lofty flights it does, despite leaning towards the pair’s more cloying tendencies, offer a few gems. Principal among them is a delightful resurrection of Family’s “My Friend the Sun,” a song that begged to be covered, and “Santa Monica,” a gorgeous paean to summer fun that would have fit perfectly in a never released album from Buffalo Springfield. Unfortunately the songwriting (particularly Stamey’s) is wildly inconsistent, with such delights as “Early In the Morning” closely followed by “Broken Record” which, as the title suggests, drones on and on. According to the liner notes hERE aND nOW (and boy oh boy is that title driving my spell check crazy!) evolved from a proposed, and still on the books, dBs reunion. Given that, it’s entirely possible the strongest tunes were set aside for that project. Here’s hoping, for as one who adores the music of that band and the two main forces behind it, hERE aND nOW comes up a bit long on style and short on substance. **1/2

Stillhouse Hollow

Dakota Me and the Machine Music The instruments (mostly banjo, mandolin, guitar, harmonica, piano, and guitar) played by Stillhouse Hollow may say Bluegrass/Old Timey but to pigeonhole this Franklin, Tennessee acoustic quartet as such would be a mistake. Certainly they have a feel for the earthy roots of mountain music but the breadth of their influences is evident and undeniable. The rich but ragged harmonies suggest that the Band’s Music from Big Pink has long been a favorite listen while the over the top energies of “Can’t Take My Love” is rockabilly at its chaotic best. It’s only when they foolishly try to consciously sound hip, as in the nearly unlistenable “Pimp Hand” that the band falls flat on their collective faces. They’re better suited to an amalgam of styles, drawing from blues, country, and even jazz (several cuts feature saxophone) than trying to tap

into the already over exposed Avett Brothers phenomena, who they frequently try to emulate. Be your own voice fellows, and let the music take you where it wants. ***

Big Star

Number One Record/Radio City Ardent Records Granted both these classics were given a deluxe CD release only a scant decade or so back, but given the deservedly iconic stature they’ve attained, now is as good a time as any to reintroduce them to the world at large. Remastered sound and a pair of largely inconsequential bonus tracks may not add much to the package but the songs themselves remain as fresh and essential as the day Alex Chilton and company put them to tape. Number One Record set the stage with a kaleidoscopic blend of Beatle-like melodies, harmonies that would have made the Hollies proud, and songwriting that defies Chilton’s and Chris Bell’s tender years. After Bell’s departure Chilton, bassist Andy Hummel, and drummer Jody Stephens may have grown increasingly eccentric but they were no less fascinating, with such delights as “Way out West” and “September Gurls” having easily stood the test of time. And if anyone has written a more pained portrait of teen angst than “Thirteen” I’ve yet to hear it. Within two years the band had imploded in messy fashion. Bell would tragically die in an automobile accident, and Big Star would — excepting the rare reunion gig — be no more. Their star certainly shone for all too brief a moment but while it did there was no brighter beam in the heavens. *****

Levon Helm

Electric Dirt Vanguard Music Like its predecessor (2008’s deservedly well reviewed Dirt Farmer) Electric Dirt goes a long way in restoring Levon Helm’s reputation. As a member of The Band his throaty and gut honest voice, as well as his impeccably timed and beautifully nuanced drumming, provided an anchor to Robbie Robertson’s piercing leads, Garth Hudson’s swirling organ, the thumping bass lines of Rick Danko and Richard Manual’s Jack of All Trade heart and soul. But as a solo artist Helm has rarely ‘CD’s’ continued on next page

‘CD’s’ continued from page 14

what’s happening

Two Cow Garage

thirty-seven years is far too long in this instance the wait was worth it. *****

David Bowie

Life and the Romantic Purple Heart Records

The real question regarding this oft bootlegged Santa Monica show is why it took so long to finally achieve commercial release. Bowie and company — the taut rhythms of bassist Trevor Bolden and drummer Woody Woodmansey matched against the frantic guitar piercings of Mick Ronson — have never sounded more vital and dangerous as here, scorching through a healthy sampling of such Spiders from Mars gems as “Queen Bitch” and “Moonage Daydream.” To fully understand the impact of this performance one must understand that the Ziggy Stardust era had not yet fully sunk in. Bowie had just entered into a period of stunning creativity, incorporating elements of glam rock with blue eyed soul, funk, and even a tinge of country in ways that had never before been imagined. The results are nothing short of miraculous, and while

Before he established his music chameleon credentials with The Man Who Sold the World, Bowie was already an established artist, having released a pair of albums and several singles, none of which made much of a splash. Early On does an admirable job of summarizing those nascent years, a time in which the thin white Duke was still finding his style. Heavily influenced by the music of the day — the power chord pop of The Who and the Kinks gives way to the occasional Bluesy Stones riff — the songs are a pastiche of an era that, in retrospect, provides a captivating glimpse of what was to come. Within three short years Bowie would emerge as the most creative artist of his time, and while the songs found herein are largely intended for a niche audience, that in no way diminishes their importance and appeal. ***

Despite having written dozens of hit songs for other artists, including his wife of thirty years Donna Summer, this is only Sudano’s second release. It’s a shame because many of these songs demonstrate his innate knack for rich melody, strong hooks, and subtle dynamics. “Morning Song” is a tender and overtly spiritual prayer to the power of music, while the calypso inflected “A Glass of Red and the Sunset” should have been a hit for *someone.* It’s only when he succumbs to singing in the first person that Sudano falters. His love for and devotion to Summer is both genuine and admirable but too much can quickly become tedious. Weakest of the lot is “It’s her Wedding Day” (written I suspect for his daughter) but Sudano quickly rights things, closing out the record with a pair of haunting ballads that show his wife is not the only supreme talent in this household. ***

Santa Monica 1972

Early On 1964-66

at the Bobo Gallery

found the right vehicle for his talents, which makes it even more heartening that, as he approaches his eighth decade, he sounds as good as ever. Electric Dirt is just as impressive as was its predecessor, with Helm’s voice and playing even more sturdy and assured. While Dirt Farmer was planted firmly in the pastures of acoustic Appalachian sounds this disc presents a wider palette recalling how damn hard The Band could rock. The opening cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Tennessee Jed” could have been culled from Rock of Ages, while a pair of Muddy Water’s tunes (“You Can’t Lost What You Ain’t Never Had” and “Stuff You Gotta Watch”) smolder in the best traditions of acoustic blues. With songs by Happy Traum, Carter Stanley (a gorgeous “White Dove”) and Roebuck Staples, Helm delves deeply into the American songbook. His two self penned numbers are just as strong. “Growin’ Trade” is a poignant tale of an aging farmer who has taken to supporting his family by growing dope, while “Heaven’s Pearls”, co-written with daughter Amy, is a celebration of a life well lived and not nearly completed. Much like his buddy Dylan and contemporary John Mellencamp, Helm has become acutely aware of his own mortality (a few years back he was successfully treated for throat cancer), parlaying it into a pair of records that both reflect and build upon his glorious past. It is a joy to hear such fresh music coming from an artist in this late stage of his career. Dirt Farmer is as strong as any record he’s yet made, giving us (and him) optimism that he has a few more great ones still to be made. ****

esides being the new home to none other than Eric Clapton (he married a local), Columbus, Ohio has become musically noteworthy for another reason. It has quietly emerged as a vibrant center of independent rock. Not since the earliest days of The Pretenders and Devo has the Buckeye state seen such notice. At the center of this new found attention is Two Cow Garage, an imaginative configuration whose musical leanings showcase the indy spirit at its best. Their latest full-length album, Speaking in Cursive (Suburban Home Records) is a four piece delight. Originally formed as a trio the addition of keyboardist Andy Schell has given new depth to the guitar/bass/ drum assault of Micah Schnabel, Shane Sweeney, and Cody Smith. The band, which has over a half decade averaged more than 200 shows per year, calls Speaking in Cursive “our darkest, most rewarding record yet. We’re writing songs that deal with the problems and dilemmas of growing up, coming to terms with one’s dreams versus reality.” There are also songs about substance abuse, the wasting of youth (and the effects on your friends when youth is stolen too soon), navigating the troubled waters

of relationships, and, of course, crushesturned-heartbreak. But for all of its confrontation of young person angst the record is by no means depressing. The band couches such honest sentiment with sprinkles of rich melodies, lyrical bite, and a straight ahead musical attack that is both catchy and imminently digestible. Their mix of adrenaline fueled rock mixed with vigorous punk affectation immediately brings to mind The Replacements. The opener “Your Humble Narrator”, in which Schnabel’s caffeine feed ragged voice echoes that of Paul Westerberg, indicates the band has nailed that groove down solid. Tattered guitars, a splash of guitar-bass-drum

Bruce Sudano

by James

Cassara

feedback and gorgeous melodies lead the way. Likewise with “Bastards and Bridesmaids”, a song that challenges the futility of squandered youth to a backdrop of pounding rhythm guitars, clanking drums, and a hook to die for. “Swingset Assassin” changes gears as the band goes acoustic, showing they can bring break your heart as easily as they can assault your ear drums. There’s even a bit of country alternative in “Swallowed by the Sea,” a tearful number (and one of two that showcases bassist Shane Sweeney’s voice) to close the album. It’s a largely successful mix, and one that shows a band ready to stake its claim to a piece of the music industry pie. Asheville audiences would be well advised to catch these up and comers become their audience numbers outgrow the friendly confines of the Bobo Gallery. In a year or two these boys will again put Columbus on the rock and roll map. Too bad it’s the same night as The New Riders of the Purple Sage show!

If You Go

Two Cow Garage at the Bobo Gallery on Sunday, August 9. Call (828) 2543426 for show times and more information.

CD Release Parties Buncombe Turnpike and Dave Desmelik at the Grey Eagle.

Saturday, August 9, 9 p.m. show. Tickets are $8 at the door. Buncombe Turnpike has released a new CD, “Ditch Diggin’ Blues.” A wide mix of music entwining aspects of gospel, traditional and contemporary bluegrass. Singer/songwriter Dave Desmelik will be playing original songs from his latest album “Onlooker.”

The Richard Shulman trio,

with Shulman on piano, Mike Holstein on bass, and Sonny Thornton on drums, will perform selections from their new CD, “Sky Jazz,” Friday, August 14, 8 p.m. at White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd., (828) 669-0816.

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 15

Bravo Concerts

hen Asheville Bravo Concerts was formed in 1932, Western North Carolina, along with the rest of America, was at the height of the Great Depression. The company, originally called the Asheville Civic Music Association, joined what was already a growing “organized audience” movement across the country. The movement’s idea, beautiful in design, was to bring patrons of the community together in celebration of the arts during a time of economic strife. Audiences therefore had access to quality shows that might not otherwise be available in the area, and provided them with the relief of entertainment and fun. Now, almost eight decades later, Bravo recognizes the changing circumstances and needs of its audience and has shown that they will, as in the past, do whatever possible to continue to serve the community and bring world-class entertainment to the area that everyone can enjoy. For Bravo, it does not go unnoticed that many

performance 2009-2010 Season

of the same needs that they fulfilled when first starting are present again. To that end, Bravo has, for their just announced 2009-2010 Season, made ticket prices more affordable — whether for season subscribers or individual tickets, and introduced a Pick 3 Subscription option. The season begins on September 26, with an evening by virtuoso violin and piano duo Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Anne-Marie McDermott. Ms. SalernoSonnenberg has won most of the world’s major violin awards, and her collaboration with Ms. McDermott has produced some of the most engaging and enduring classical music of the last quarter-century. In late October Bravo will present the famed Vienna Boys Choir. The world’s most beloved choir, The Vienna Boys Choir has awed audiences with their remarkable vocal prowess since their formation in 1498. Then, in January of 2010, Bravo will bring Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The Trocks, as they are known, are an all-male ballet troupe whose parodies of

“A

Masterworks 1 – September 19, 2009

Opening Night: Viva España! with Zuill Bailey and Mary Persin Opening night is always a special time for the Asheville Symphony. This September, Music Director Daniel Meyer and the ASO begin with a musical based on the anticipation of a toreador as he is about to take the ring for an epic bullfight. Turina’s Bullfighter’s Prayer is a dramatic score, inspired by the heritage and passions of old Spain. To cap a festive evening, we will perform some of your favorite moments from Bizet’s score to Carmen. Who can forget the sultry Habañera or the wild Danse Bohême? It’s opening night, after all. Olé! Masterworks 2 – October 17, 2009

A Mountain Homecoming featuring Noah Bendix-Balgley In October we continue to present music of exotic origins. Estonian composer Arvo

Pärt has emerged as one of our most beloved composers. Fratres, with its evocative, slowly-chanting string choirs, is a piece of quiet contemplation. Then Noah Bendix-Balgley makes his triumphant return to Asheville with Johann Sebastian Bach’s vibrant Concerto in E and Ravel’s gypsy-flavored Tzigane. We finish the evening with Mendelssohn’s heart-rending Fourth Symphony. Masterworks 3 – November 7, 2009

Life Blooms, Life Fades November’s concert celebrates the cycle of life. Giacomo Puccini wrote I crisantemi (Chrysanthemums) to the memory of Duke Amadeo di Savoia. American composer Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring is inextricably linked with the blossoming of spring. In his lovely Requiem, French composer Gabriel Fauré creates a touching dedication to loved ones who have passed. December 19, 2009

Holiday Pops With the glowing voices of the Asheville Symphony Chorus under Dewitt Tipton and the Asheville Symphony Children’s Chorus under Timothy Wilds, guest soloists, and the “right jolly old Elf” himself, our Holiday Concert has become a favorite of Asheville audiences over the years.

16 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

Chall Gray

classical ballet shows, from Swan Lake to Giselle, have won them acclaim the world over. Formed in New York in the mid-70’s, the Trocks not only toe but continually dance across the line between Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo high art and high camp. In a fascinating contrast, immediately As not only the area’s oldest arts following the Trocks will be an example of organization but the only one bringing classical story ballet at its finest: the Mosworld-class performing arts to Western cow Festival Ballet’s production of Swan North Carolina, Bravo is proud to produce Lake. This classic show will be a treat for such an exciting season, and to lead such a audience members of all ages, presented by vibrant arts community. some of the finest dancers in Russia. In March 2010, Bravo’s 78th season will conclude with The Gershwin’s Porgy If & Bess, considered by many to be the 20th For more information about ou Asheville Y Century’s finest musical theatre achieveBravo Concerts or Go: the 2009-2010 Season, please ment. This quintessentially American tale call (828) 225-5887, or visit is imbued with pathos, prejudice, and, www.ashevillebravoconcerts.org. ultimately, hope.

Asheville Symphony Orchestra

s we anticipate another season of musical stars, we hope you will join us for what should prove to be our best season yet. As we continue to reach beyond the notes to deliver you the magic behind them, we want you to be there for every step of our journey. ” ~ Daniel Meyer, Asheville Symphony Orchestra Music Director.

2009-2010 Season

Masterworks 4 – February 27, 2010

Red Hot and Blue In February we contrast the crackle of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks with Rhapsody in Blue. George Gershwin’s score remains a favorite of the piano repertoire. Di Wu performs this masterpiece of jazz and classical fusion. We will complete the evening with Shostakovich’s intense and emotional Tenth Symphony. Masterworks 5 – March 13, 2010

Folk Fusions In Three Places in New England, Charles Ives creates a meticulously rendered score of atmosphere, clustered tones, and dashes of Americana. Brilliant young violinist Caroline Goulding joins us for Mozart’s sunny Fourth Violin Concerto. After intermission, we will play Bartok’s brilliant Rumanian Folk Dances. The evening is capped with the symphonic works of Johannes Brahms. Masterworks 6 – April 24, 2010

A Pair of Fives Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony is a tribute to the grand English choral tradition with its soaring melodies, and grand harmonies. Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto is filled with brilliant piano virtuosity and a melodic finale that you cannot forget. Antonio Pompa-Baldi reunites with Daniel

Steven R. Hageman

Meyer to bring his unique musicianship to Asheville for this special night of fives. Masterworks 7 – May 15, 2009

Heavenly Life, Earthly Pleasures Our season finale in May pairs Gustav Mahler’s nature-inspired symphony with Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra. At her young age, Ana Vidovic has already made a splash in the musical world with her virtuosity on the classical guitar. Rising-star soprano Deborah Selig joins us as she takes on Mahler’s captivating score. Executive Director, Steven Hageman said, “Daniel Meyer continues to intrigue us with his concert programming. His ability to mix the well-known repertoire with new and unusual pieces has created a real sense of adventure for each concert. Each performance is an experience.” Subscription prices for the season start at $94 for all seven concerts. The Symphony also offers a Pick Three package for those unable to attend all seven Masterworks concerts. Discounts available for students. Subscriptions may be purchased by calling the Asheville Symphony at (828) 254-7046. Visit www.ashevillesymyphony.org for additional information.

If You Go:

stage preview

Performing Artist Calls Forth His Tales

uthor and performing Space Studies in NY, where artist Peter Neofotis he was a contributing author presents his onefor the Intergovernmental man show Concord, Panel on Climate Change Virginia from August - which shared the Nobel 20-29 at NC Stage. The perPeace Prize with Al Gore. formance also coincides with Both books will be on sale at the release of his award-winthe shows and also available ning book of the same name, at local independent bookpublished by St. Martin’s store Malaprops. Press. Concord, Virginia: A Peter Neofotis grew up in Southern Town in Stories is a the Blue Ridge Mountains and part of North Carolina Stage Peter Neofotis has been performing in New Company’s Catalyst Series. York City for three years. Now he ventures Now in its sixth year, the series features to Asheville to celebrate the release of his performances from local, grassroots theatre award-winning book Concord, Virginia: companies. NC Stage collaborates with A Southern Town in Eleven Stories (St. these exciting companies to expand its own Martin’s Press). programming while providing resources for Concord, Virginia is the story of a town innovative theatre. told through the history of its characters. For the show, Peter Neofotis presents his short For more information about stories, all of which have been performed in Peter Neofotis visit www.neofotis.com NYC’s Dixon Place Theater, from memory. With tales of moonshining old ladies, interracial lovers, and gay trials, it’s sort of like Concord, Virginia: A SouthSpalding Grey – except Southern. ern Town in Stories, by PeIf Mr. Neofotis’ book is the winner of the You ter Neofotis, August 20-23, Pirate’s Alley William Faulkner CompetiGo and August 27-29 at 7:30 p.m. tion. The award committee wrote “ConTickets are $12 in advance, cord, Virginia is southern folklore genius…” $15 at the door. North Twenty-eight year-old Peter Neofotis Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane in developed the tales by night, while working Asheville. Call (828) 239-0263 or visit www. by day at the NASA/Goddard Institute for ncstage.org for more information.

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre

he Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) is one of the country’s most successful and celebrated community theatres. The group, which features local talent and occasional professional guest artists, has won state, regional and national awards for their productions. Each year HART produces up to fourteen plays and musicals. The group’s home, the Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, is a summer stock style theater which sits on an eight acre national historic site in downtown Waynesville. The site is also home to the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts. The HART Studio Season features classics and contemporary works in the 75 seat Feichter theater and runs January through April. The main stage season in the 250 seat James theatre features large scale musicals and plays.

August 28 - September 6 “Walking Across Egypt” – A human comedy about an elderly woman who takes

up the cause of a young fugitive.

October 2 - 18 “Jane Eyre: the Musical” – The classic story of the life of an orphan girl.

November 13 - 22 “Hamlet” – A timeless story of revenge, betrayal, and power.

April 23 - May 9 “Seussical: the Musical” – A delightful Broadway musical for the entire family, inspired by the world of Dr. Seuss.

June 4 - 13 “Falling In Like” by Jerry Sipp. Sometimes “like” is the best you can do

July 9 – August 1 “Brigadoon” – An enchanted village, love, and a soaring score.

If You Go:

Haywood Arts Regional Theater, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville, NC. Call (828) 456-6322 for tickets or more details, or visit www.harttheatre.com. Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 17

music

The New Riders of the Purple Sage

he venerable outfit known as The New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS) may have begun as an offshoot of The Grateful Dead but their forty year career has clearly demonstrated a remarkable staying power. First signed by Clive Davis the group released its debut album a year later. In the next 11 years the band toured and released a dozen albums, selling over 4 million records. NRPS began when Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart teamed up with guitarists/singers John Dawson and David Nelson. The two had been mainstays of the San Francisco scene, and although the band’s early live appearances were often viewed as an informal warm-up to the main attraction, NRPS quickly established an independent identity through the strength of Dawson’s original songs. By 1970 Dave Torbert had replaced Lesh, and Spencer Dryden, formerly of Jefferson Airplane, had joined as the group’s permanent drummer. Garcia remained in both The Dead and

18 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

The New Riders until he found himself overcommitted, at which time Buddy Cage replaced him on steel guitar. Various other incarnations of the group have evolved, and while both Torbert and Dryden have passed away the band’s legacy is clearly worth preserving. Co-founder John Dawson is no longer able to lend his considerable talents to the band but he has given his support and blessing to the current line up. The new NRPS vows to keep the spirit and tunes alive by taking them to fans everywhere. To that end the band plays its first ever Asheville concert with an August 9 show at The Grey Eagle. In anticipation of

by James

Cassara

the show the great Buddy Cage, whose inventive playing has long formed the band’s foundation (and can be heard all over Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks, dozens of recordings by various artists, and nearly every classic Grateful Dead album) graciously took the time to discuss the band’s past and future.

Rapid River: Talk about the current band line up. How did it come about and who’s playing what?

Buddy Cage: About five years ago, Johnny

Markowski, a prolific songwriter and consummate musician, and I were playing golf. ‘Riders’ continued on next page

‘Riders’ continued from page 18

Both of us were “between gigs” at the time. Johnny casually said “Wouldn’t it be neat to bring NRPS back.” I vehemently disagreed. A lot of people still yapped about the band but I figured no one would want to pay the money to see them. But he pressed on, offering himself, a friend playing bass, and guitarist Michael Falzarano from Hot Tuna to do some of John’s (Dawson) songs. Suddenly I got interested. I told him if Nelson got intrigued, then I was in. Turns out that Johnny was originally a drummer, so that worked out well; it still makes for a five piece band, which is how we’re best known.

RR: New Riders of the Purple Sage have

a long and distinguished history. Does the band feel a certain obligation to live up to that tradition? Are you in any way restricted by the past?

BC: There truly are zero restrictions on the

future. None! We’ve been graced with the added energy of past Grateful Dead personnel — Hunter, Healy, Annette Flowers, Scully, Bob & Betty, McNally — all jumping into the pool with us. All the movers in the Dead were with us again! I personally find that as gratifyingly elegant in this ole hippie’s life, as anything I’ve done to date.

RR: In the forty years you’ve been a per-

forming musician the business has changed so much. The Internet has revolutionized the industry, but the actual music making process has changed relatively little.

BC: That’s simply not true! When digi-

tal technology emerged, EVERYTHING changed. The recordings we do now are captured in four or five days in various, modest studios across the country, in only a few minimal takes!

RR: I was thinking more of the songwriting

music

process. It’s still a matter of someone sitting down with a guitar or a piano.

BC: Nelson spent many years with a key-

board processor working out ways to make new chord relations. This is what you hear in the new Hunter/Nelson tunes. It’s quite fascinating, actually. But sure, you’re right about the ‘industry’ concepts morphing from the old Label Model to ones in which we found ourselves more in control of the operation. If we wanted transparency, WE, as musicians/composers had to figure out the mechanics and do the legwork ourselves. We’ve kept it away from the money-makers, the piranha with their cleverly constructed fine print to take advantage of artists.

ripple effect with kids that were a generation younger than our original fan base! When we perform older songs like “Dirty Business” or “Garden of Eden,” the messages shine through as they did almost 40 years ago. Yet, the Hunter/Nelson songs on our new album Where I Come From (to be reviewed in next month’s Rapid River) scream a great message to those showing up at our shows. Folks from different age groups are singing the lyrics with us as we showcase them. Utterly astonishing.

RR: After hearing the new album it’s hard

to disagree with that. I must admit to being genuinely surprised by the strength of the songwriting. What can the audience at The

Grey Eagle expect at a NRPS show? Is there a conscious effort on the band’s part to mix new songs in with old favorites?

BC: All I can add is that I hope they turn out and enjoy what we have to offer. Let me add that the new album can be found at iTunes, at www.thenewriders.com, or www.woodstockrecords.com. The New Riders of the Purple Sage with special guest Tony Furtado at the Grey Eagle, Sunday, August 9. Call ahead for tickets (priced at a scant $15) as I seriously suspect this show will sell out.

If You Go:

RR: Did you ever imagine that four decades later you’d still be on the road?

BC: Never thought it would be any differ-

ent. Playing music — and most importantly playing with others — in all its aspects is what I do.

RR: It seems there’s been a resurgence of

interest in music from the 60’s and 70’s. Kids today are listening to bands whose heyday was long before they were even born. What about that period do you think speaks so forcefully to these kids? Is the message of that period still relevant?

BC: Man, it certainly seems so. Good songs

are sustaining. For all the period between Jerry’s passing and the fill-in sort of ‘jam’ scene that was replacing past work, younger folks seemed to be searching for good songs again. The jam scene doesn’t offer up many good tunes I can hang my hat on.

RR: No argument there… BC: But when I was doing the radio show at Sirius (around the time NRPS resurfaced), there was more national play of New Riders’ songs. Some were from past recordings, others from ‘live’ shows the reformed NRPS were doing. This seemed to cause a

Identity Theft Hits 5-Year High Leader in I.D. Theft Protection Strikes Back with Free Protection Offer for All

TEMPE, ARIZONA – Identity theft has topped the Federal Trade Commission’s list of consumer complaints for the past eight years. Now, a stunning new survey shows a record 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft last year – a shocking 22% increase over the prior year – according to Javelin Strategy & Research. This news mirrors a just-released report from the Federal Trade Commission that cites a 21% increase in identity theft complaints during the same period. Apparently, individual consumers are not the only ones at risk: a recent review cited by the Wall Street Journal reports that the cost of information breaches to U.S. companies was also on the rise, with the average total per-incident cost in 2008 rising to $6.65 million*. These studies send a clear message: in the wake of the global economic crisis, identity theft is a big business. It’s up to consumers to take proactive steps to protect themselves. That’s why for a limited time, LifeLock, the industry leader in identity theft protection, is offering 30 days of guaranteed identity theft protection service at no cost. “All you have to do is call 1-888-2525862 for an individual membership, or 1-888-261-1335 if you

are enrolling more than one member,” said Todd Davis, the CEO of LifeLock known for giving out his real Social Security number in advertising to show his confidence in the service. “It’s that simple.” Immediately upon enrollment, all LifeLock members are protected by LifeLock’s $1 Million Total Service Guarantee.

“When I first learned about a company called LifeLock that protects families from identity theft, my husband was skeptical. I signed us up anyway, and forgot about it. A couple of months later, on a family vacation, my husband received a phone call asking if he was applying for a new credit card. Someone was trying to steal his identity. LifeLock had stopped the thief cold.” Kim Barnes

“I’m a former chief of police of a major city. I knew identity theft was a $50 billion a year business, and a prime focus of organized crime. But they got me anyway. Even though I was a senior law enforcement official, it took weeks to clear my name. I decided: never again. A reporter recommended LifeLock to me and I tried them out. I’ve never had a problem since. I highly recommend them to you.” Bobby Jo Harris

Why should you protect your identity? Consider some of the Javelin survey’s specific findings: According to the survey, more than one in every ten victims knew the person who stole their identity. The Javelin survey also revealed women are 26% more likely to be victims than men. The survey also named higher income consumers (households with combined incomes of $75,000 or more) to be at higher risk. Latinos are 47% more likely to become victims of new account theft, versus 32% of all victims. It’s important to point out that no one can stop all identity theft, but what LifeLock doesn’t stop, they fix at their expense, up to $1 million. To get LifeLock free for 30 days during this special offer, call 1-888-252-5862 for individual memberships, 1-888-261-1335 for multiple enrollments, and use promo code FREEMONTH.

Ryan “Country Music’s Next Star” Larkins Country music’s next star is coming to Asheville for a free outdoor concert. Hailing from the small town of Burns, Tennessee, just thirty miles outside of Nashville, Ryan Larkins shared the dream of many: He hoped to one day make it in country music, following in the footsteps of the legends he grew up listening to. But, unlike countless others who aspire to stardom, Larkins set out with a plan, one which to this point has served him well. Still, when a friend convinced him to try out for the hit television series Can You Duet? (carried on CMT), the last thing Ryan expected was to make it to the finals, past the 5,000+ other country star hopefuls. As of mid-July, Larkin and

his singing partner Avalon, were in the top six and going strong with rave reviews from the judges, including superstars Naomi Judd and Big Kenny of Big and Rich fame. On Sunday, August 2, local fans will have a chance to sample this up-andcomer’s talent as a creative songwriter and powerful singer. It’s a free show, sponsored by Seacoast Church and Lake House Music Productions.

If You Go:

Rising country musician Ryan Larkins at Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville. This 2 p.m. show is absolutely free!

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 19

Cucina 24

Vincenzo’s

Accomplished Italian food, from antipasto to dessert. Cucina 24 is the creation of chef/owner Brian Canipelli and general manager Brian Candee. “We wanted a restaurant that offered incredible Italian food that was served in a comfortable atmosphere,” Canipelli said. Considering the splendid service, high-quality ingredients and integrity of preparation, dining here is a delicious bargain.

Vincenzo’s Ristorante & Bistro is neither pretentious nor overly simplistic. The menu is reasonably priced and is quite extensive. They feature smaller versions (piccolos) of some of their more popular plates. You can also order side portions of practically every entrée. Their signature dish is the Filetto Gorgonzola ($25), two seared filet medallions accompanied by a Gorgonzola cream sauce, pine nuts and caramelized shallots.

Details – Pastas are all made in

house, as well as all their bread and desserts. The Crowd: Affluent but casual, even boisterous on busy nights. The Staff: Young, well trained and eager to please. The Bar: Magnificent on all counts. The bar itself is gorgeous and inviting. Try a dessert martini – well worth the price. Cost: Lunch entrees, $6 to $11. Dinner entrees, $15 to $23.

Cucina 24 24 Wall Street in Asheville (828) 254-6170

Details – The restaurant fills up fast

so call for reservations.The Bistro is California casual in style and offers live music seven nights a week. The upstairs restaurant is smoke free. You can smoke in the Bistro after 9 p.m. Hours: Monday - Thursday 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Vincenzo’s Ristorante & Bistro 10 N. Market Street (828) 254-4698 www.vincenzos.com

Dinner & Music in Flat Rock Every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. the Flat Rock Wine Shoppe and The Back Room feature music. The Flat Rock Wine Shoppe has a wonderful variety of wines to suit every taste and price range.

Rapid River Re

Curras Dom

Limones

Curras Dom puts Mexican Cuisine on the culinary map by offering Modern Mexican Cuisine in a friendly, casual fine dining atmosphere. It’s a great place to relax, unwind and have a great meal. Only 10 minutes from downtown Asheville. They offer a seasonal menu of authentic dishes from the interior of Mexico using locally grown ingredients. They also have an excellent wine list and a full bar. If you are adventurous, go ahead and try their very own Avocado Margaritas.

An established restaurant featuring a mix of Californian and Mexican cuisine, in a cozy and classy atmosphere where the service is both professional and personable. The old cherry floors and lacquered wood tables give the feeling of modest, unassuming elegance, setting the stage for meals that please the palette and provide something a little different and apart from the ordinary. The word about town is that chef and owner Hugo Ramirez, a native of Mexico, graces his ever-evolving menu with local, organic vegetables, hormone-free meats and wild seafood. Ask about the Tres Leches cake for a special dessert treat.

Details – Outstanding service. Lunch: Appetizers and salads $2.50 to $7.50; Entrées: $7 to $9.50. Dinner: Appetizers and salads $7 and up; Entrées: $17 and up.

Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, and Sunday’s for brunch from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Reservations are strongly suggested.

Curras Dom 72 Weaverville Road (828) 253-2111 www.currasdom.com

In the Back Room, you can indulge in their extensive beer list, purchase wine by the glass, choose from more than 600 wines, and listen to regional and national acts.

Details – Dress: nice casual. Serving

brunch ($10-15), and dinner ($15-20). Wine, beer, and cocktails. Reservations accepted. Hours: Monday - Sunday 5-10 p.m., Sunday brunch 10:30-2:30 p.m.

Limones 13 Eagle Street in Asheville (828) 252-2327

Wine Shop Hours: Tuesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday - Saturday 10 a.m. until the Back Room closes. The Back Room Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 5 p.m. until. Flat Rock Wine Shoppe, 2702 Greenville Highway. Phone (828) 697-6828 or visit www. flatrockwineshoppe.com. A smoke free venue.

Delicious

(828) 236-9800 Open 7 Days a Week

50 Broadway ~ Asheville, NC Bring this ad in for 15% off your order (excluding alcohol)

Specialty Pizzas Spring Water Dough Appetizing Salads Hoagies & Pretzels Fresh-Baked Calzones Healthy Ingredients Wide variety of vegan options including vegan soy cheese Wireless Internet Access!

20 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

13 Eagle Street in Asheville (828) 252-2327

Advertise in the Restaurant Guide ~ Free Web Links

estaurant Guide

Forest Blue

Flying Frog Café

Eclectic menu with a twist: Seafood Spinach Dip; Inside-out burger stuffed with cheese; mixed berry tiramisu; Panko Breaded Ahi Tuna with wasabi cream sauce; Stuffed Chicken with prosciutto, tomato, pesto, olives and smoked Gouda cream sauce; and Almond-Encrusted Pork Chops with a sweet raspberry sauce.

The Flying Frog Café is one of Asheville’s most unique upscale dining establishments, featuring a culmination of flavors resulting from more than two decades of experience in Asheville. Owned and operated by veteran restaurateurs Jay and Vijay Shastri. Passionate about great food and wines, chef and certified sommelier Shastri showcases European and Indian cuisines, both classic and innovative, enhanced by his deft hand with spice. The restaurant also features a boutique wine list with several hundred vintages of great wines. The intense menu is matched by a professional wait staff of food enthusiasts who know and understand what composes each dish. The Flying Frog Café has earned an impressive list of reviews from almost every major newspaper and culinary magazine in the United States.

Details – Clean, open, modern meets warm and woodsy. Non-smoking. Down-to-earth atmosphere. Full-service bar for appetizers, mixed drinks, beers on draft and local wines.

Appetizers and salads - $7.99 to $10.99; Lunch: $7.99 to $15.99; Dinner: $16.99 to 25.99; Brunch: $6.99 to $10.99 Hours: Mon – Thurs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations suggested. Catering and private party space available.

Forest Blue Restaurant & Lounge 900 Hendersonville Rd. (in Forest Center North complex)

(828) 505-7055 www.theforestblue.com

Flying Frog Café & Wine Bar 1 Battery Park in Asheville (828) 254-9411

Flying Frog

Café & Wine Bar Continental, German, Urban Indian

Wed-Mon 5:30-11 p.m. Reservations recommended

1 Battery Park in Asheville (828) 254-9411

s ~ Free Ad Design ~ Call (828) 646-0071 Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 21

restaurants & wine

A Tabletop Tour de France

Michael Parker

- and a Sampling of Many Current Good Buys From France

s I write, the Tour de France is, well, touring France, and soon it will head up Mont Ventoux. A former Ventoux speed-record holder, Jonathan Vaughters, is at the same time enjoying an induction into the Brotherhood of Chateauneuf du Pape. Vaughters was once a part of the Lance Armstrong team. The little news story took me back to an old mountain biking (and drinking) buddy, a character known long ago in this

Events at the Weinhaus Reservations are required for these events, please call the Weinhaus at (828) 254-6453.

Monday, August 10

Wine Tasting Dinner at Sinbad Restaurant on Washington St. in Hendersonville. We will begin with hors d’oeuvres on the deck followed by a four course meal with wines chosen by the Weinhaus. Time: 7 p.m. Price: $60

column as the Sherry-loving Ranger. We used to watch the Tour de France together. He knew all the rules and all the complexities of the race. (He is currently serving our country in Fort Bragg.) Years ago, he came to one of my in-house wine dinners and proudly brought with him a pink wine from Ventoux. He didn’t even seem to notice the color – a strange choice for a macho Army Ranger, but he sure as hell knew the name of Ventoux. “The Tour de France rides through it!” he declared. I remember thinking how glad I was that it didn’t ride through Strawberry Hill. The wine was, of course, good. A pink wine didn’t necessarily go with anything at the dinner, but it was enjoyed, and consumed quickly, before the dinner got started, and it gave a couple of guests a reminder that a pink wine can be a good wine.

Red Mont Ventoux

this is one of those salad course wines, if the dressing is light and the plate holds soft cheese or salmon or shellfish. No need to age this wine. Chateau de Ségries, Tavel, Rhone Rosé 2008 ($20) This well-reputed appellation, Tavel, is near Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and it only produces rosé wines. This wine is downright elegant, hence the justifiably higher price. You will delight in red summer berry aromas and love the spicy finish. Don’t take a bite of anything too soon – the finish goes on and on, and you paid for that finish.

White

Sunday, August 23

Guigal, Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2007 ($12) Lovely. Half Viognier, and the rest Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, and Bourboulenc. This may be one of my favorite all-time white wines. I spent so much time sniffing it that I almost forgot to taste it. Complex, with layers of different fruits. A mineral here, an herb there. Delicious, with a long finish.

Wine Tasting Dinner at Southside Cafe. We will enjoy a four course dinner featuring Southside’s famous food. The Weinhaus will select a number of delicious wines to enjoy with the meal. Time: 7 p.m. Price: $60

Tuesday, September 1

Wine Tasting Dinner at Ophelia’s World Cafe. A five-course dinner with wines chosen by the Weinhaus to complement the food. Time: 7 p.m. Price: $60 The Weinhaus 86 Patton Ave., in Asheville (828) 254-6453

frequently found there. The name, loosely translated, means “the soil of dinosaurs.” Made of 100% Piquepoul grapes, this is a thirst-quenching wine, straw in color, with a fruit basket on the palate.

Pink Houchart, Cotes de Provence Rosé 2008 ($10) Dry, of course, with a whiff of raspberries, and some nice spice. For those of you who fuss about food and wine matches,

Chateau Font Mars, Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc 2007 ($10) From a Dutch family named Clock, who settled in Bordeaux in 1679. Their work was noticed by King Louis XIV, who naturalized them French in 1686. Font Mars is located in the Languedoc region, and fossilized dinosaur eggs are

Great values & styles Free Tasting at The Wine Guy South Every Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. Every week we invite a different distributor to pour 4 or 5 new wines from their portfolio for us to sample. Light hors d’oeuvres are served and all wines poured will be specially priced. The Wine Guy stocks a diverse selection of wines from around the world.

www.theAshevilleWineGuy.com

Wine Retail

Tastings ~ Wine Classes

Great wines for any occasion and budget.

22 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

555 Merrimon Ave. (828) 254-6500 1200 Hendersonville Rd. (828) 277-1120

Vignerons de Caractere, Le Privilege des Vignerons, Cotes du Rhone ($10) A textbook Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault. Spice and minerals enhance and underscore the black fruit present in this recommended bottle. This wine would work with somewhat spicy foods and certainly with a gamey meat like lamb. Delas Freres, Cotes du Ventoux 2006 ($10) Wines from this region are sometimes hard to predict. There are loads of berry fruit here, and a pronounced peppery tone courtesy of the Grenache. Syrah and Carignan deliver additional complexity and add some earthiness. A real pleasure. Remember: reds from Ventoux rarely need ageing longer than 4-5 years. Château de Segries, Cotes du Rhone 2007 ($13) Great with a seared duck breast or roasted lamb, the raspberry flavor and accompanying spice are delicious. 50% Grenache, plus Syrah, Cinsault, and Carignan. Good tannins call for meat cooked to medium rare at the most. Do you smell violets, or sense something like lavender? Vieux Lazaret, Cotes du Ventoux 2007 ($13) I like this, a lighter red with all the cherry/ berry flavors it is supposed to have from a 60/40 blend of Grenache and Syrah. Some people call this “easy drinking” and therefore I wish it were under $10, but, what the hell, let go of the extra three and get this if you are looking for milder-mannered but quality red wine.

joe’s brew notes

MALT – Asheville’s Homebrew Club – a Nationally-Recognized Regional Powerhouse

n the mid 1990’s commercial craft beer was not readily available in NC and the easiest way to get a good craft brew was to make it. A few home brewers started to gather regularly to taste and discuss their brews. As participation grew, the Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters club formed in 1997. The club soon became a significant part of Asheville’s beer scene and a force in the area’s craft brew explosion. To paraphrase, MALT’s purpose and goals are to promote the hobby of home brewing through the education of their members and the general public about the characteristics, production, and history of beer styles. To that end the club encourages and advances members’ skills related to tasting, judging, and producing beers. Their successful implementation of these goals has brought regional and national recognition to the club, to individual club members, and to the greater Asheville brewing community. The MALT club meets twice a month. One meeting is pint night, the first Friday of each month. Members gather at a local

Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) www.maltsters.org

Beer Judges – an Important Beer judges are trained, dedicated individuals whose major task is to provide both professional and home brewers with written feedback on the beers they make. The evaluation and practical suggestions for improvement help brewers provide the tasty brews we enjoy. We are all beer judges to some extent and we vote when we buy the beers we like. However certified judges help brewers improve their beer and this takes study and dedication. The Beer Judge Certification Program or BJCP is a nonprofit organization that promotes beer literacy and the recognition of beer-tasting and evaluation skills. The BJCP certifies and ranks beer judges by an examination and monitoring process and is a recognized way to become a skilled judge. The BJCP requires participants to take a combination of written and taste examinations. The results provide a rank — Recognized, Certified, National,

Master, or Grand Master (then Grand Master level 1, 2, etc). To maintain or grow in rank, judges must earn experience points by judging at various competitions on a regular basis. Competitions help brewers learn. Well-judged competitions help brewers grow in the craft in which they are so passionate — a benefit to brewers and beer lovers.

Baseball and Beers at McCormick Field

brewery or pub for a purely social event although informal discussions are usually held with brewmasters or bar tenders/managers. The second meeting is one of two types, a formal club meeting or an event meeting. The six formal club meetings are held at the Black Forest Restaurant on Hendersonville Road where members socialize, conduct club business, participate in an educational program, and judge beers brewed by members. The educational programs vary MALT officers (left to right), David Keller – Minister of Education; Karen Joslin – President; from presentations on brewing Steve Morgan – Minister of Finance. techniques, to grain and hop types and usage, to the latest brewing equipment made commercially or the Belgian Beer Bash where home brewed by a fellow home brewer. Judging beers at and commercial Belgian beers are compared these meetings is now formal with written and enjoyed; trips to meet with other clubs, feedback to the brewer. The club recognized tours of breweries and other beer related exthis as a perfect, low-stress way for new or cursions, and the club-sponsored Blue Ridge aspiring judges to work with and learn from Brew Off competition. more experienced judges. Almost 30% of Ten years ago MALT created the Blue MALT members are beer judges (see side Ridge Brew Off to produce an Ashevillebar) with two Master-level judges and one based event for local and southeast-regional National-level judge. home brewers. The event has become the Examples of the six event-type meetings biggest in the southeast and one of the top are — the Big Beer Bash pot-luck dinner ten in the country with well over 500 entries. where members share the high alcohol beer This year the Brew Off is one of the qualifythey’ve made (started when commercial ing events for the national Masters Champroducts weren’t legally available in NC), pionship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB) competition. Both the growth and MCAB participation are a testimony to MALT’S Part of the Beer Community quality of event planning and organizational skills and the quality of the judge’s feedback. MALT has also helped plan, organize, and run both the prestigious Highland Cup and the new Pisgah Organic Pro-Am events. The Best of Show for these events will be brewed and sold commercially. Look for the winners of this year’s events to be available in early fall.

Beer Judges at a competition.

Saturday, August 22 This should be a fun event with hand-crafted beers provided by more than 30 vendors from throughout the Southeast. A variety of foods will be available while four terrific bands (Fire Cracker Jazz Band, Kelin Watson, Jar-E, and Woody Wood and Hollywood Red) will perform on home plate throughout the evening. The bleachers will be open for those who want to relax, eat, sip your favorite beer and listen to the music. Although, the Tourists aren’t playing that day, everyone who buys a ticket to the event will receive a general admission ticket for any game during the 2009 season. Ticket prices start at $20 for entry and a commemorative beer mug. Purchase tickets at Ticketmaster outlets or the Asheville Tourists box office.

Club members are considered some of the best home brewers in NC. They actively and successfully vie in a large number of important competitions. For example, both Aaron Schenk (2008) and Alex Buerckholtz (2009) have won the Highland Cup and Norm Penn just won the Silver medal in the American Home Brewers Association competition (a national event). MALT is part of the foundation of Asheville’s brew scene. The club’s focus on education helps fuel its growth. For five years, Joe Zinich has been taking a selfguided, high-intensity tour of Asheville’s beer world. Contact him at: jzinich@ bellsouth.net

Asheville Arts Center Celebration Friday, August 14, 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, August 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Asheville Arts Center celebrates its 5year anniversary. The Friday evening party will be held at the South location on Summit Avenue (off of Hendersonville Road before Long Shoals Rd). The Saturday party will take place at the Main location on Merrimon Avenue. Adults and children can enjoy food, fun and festivities. Both events are free!

The Asheville Arts Center works with students of all ages, as well as local music, dance and theater performers. Adults and children can learn about upcoming music, dance and drama programs, including community theater opportunities. Prospective students can also register for fall classes, which begin August 17. For more information call AAC at (828) 253-4000 or visit www. AshevilleArtsCenter.com.

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 23

Reel Take Reviewers:

For the latest reviews, theater info and movie show times, visit www.rapidrivermagazine.com

Chip Kaufmann is a film historian who also shares his love of classical music as a program host on WCQS-FM radio. Michelle Keenan is a long time student of film, a believer in the magic of movies and a fundraiser for public radio.

∑∑∑∑∑ - Fantastic ∑∑∑∑ - Pretty darn good ∑∑∑ - Has some good points ∑∑ - The previews lied ∑ - Only if you must M- Forget entirely

Sierra Bicking, our Teen Reviewer, prefers movies that show teenagers as brilliant and brave.

Questions/Comments?

You can email Chip or Michelle at reeltakes@hotmail.com

Cheri ∑∑∑∑

Short Take: This adaptation of two Colette novels is a beautiful recreation of La Belle Epoque with winning performances from Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend.

Reel Take: Director Stephen Frears has

made a wide variety of films over the course of his 40 year career. Everything from the quirky cutting edge drama My Beautiful Launderette (1985) to the mainstream biopic The Queen (2006). A couple of outstanding titles (Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987) and The Grifters in 1990) came early in his career. Cheri harks back to his earlier French period film Dangerous Liaisons (1988).

Theatre Directory Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company Movieline (828) 254-1281 www.ashevillepizza.com

Beaucatcher Cinemas (Asheville) Movieline (828) 298-1234

Biltmore Grande

1-800-FANDANGO #4010 www.REGmovies.com

Carmike 10 (Asheville)

Movieline (828) 298-4452 www.carmike.com

Carolina Cinemas

(828) 274-9500 www.carolinacinemas.com

Cinebarre (Asheville) www.cinebarre.com

The Falls Theatre (Brevard) Movieline (828) 883-2200

Fine Arts Theatre (Asheville) Movieline (828) 232-1536 www.fineartstheatre.comm

Flat Rock Theatre (Flat Rock) Movieline (828) 697-2463 www.flatrockcinema.com

Four Seasons (Hendersonville) Movieline (828) 693-8989

Smoky Mountain Cinema (Waynesville)

Can you say cougar? Michelle Pfeiffer takes a much younger lover in “Cheri.”

This time Michelle Pfeiffer is the star and at 50 is not only older but much more of a captivating presence than in the earlier movie. I confess upfront to a certain fondness for Pfeiffer and it’s good to see her up on the big screen once again. Once again an aging American actress has had to deal with the double standard and go across the pond to find a decent role (just as Demi Moore did in last year’s Flawless). Hollywood refuses to see what it’s missing and so we pay the price as the majority of British and European films rarely play here. There is definitely a niche for these types of films in Asheville which the Fine Arts Theatre has clearly proven and which the Carolina Cinemas are now trying to address by booking such recent films as Easy Virtue and The Brothers Bloom. The constant disregard for anything outside of the 18-34 male demographic continues to frustrate me as a critic and as a moviegoer. OK. Relax. Lecture’s over. The soapbox has been put away (for now). This is supposed to be a movie review, so here it is. The story is set in pre-World War I Paris and is based on two novels by the French author Colette. An aging courtesan (Pfeiffer) falls for the much younger son (Rupert Friend) of another courtesan (Kathy Bates) and thereby hangs the tale. We all know that it will end badly but that’s not the point. Director Frears knows that we’re really here to see the period recreation and a look at a life that we wish we could experience.

Movieline (828) 452-9091

24 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

The costumes are gorgeous, the settings luxurious, and the manners (even when nasty things are being said) are impeccable. At under 2 hours the film doesn’t overstay its welcome although it does come close on a couple of occasions. After all this is a glorified soap opera but the director and his interesting cast keep it from becoming just that through interesting characterizations and some beautiful cinematography. Cheri is certainly not for everyone but if you enjoy the Masterpiece Theatre approach to moviemaking and want to see some choice roles for older women for a change, then this is the movie for you. Rated R for sexual content and some drug use. Review by Chip Kaufmann

Food, Inc. ∑∑∑∑

Short Take: An extremely well made documentary that tells you what you don’t want to know about the food you’re eating.

Reel Take: The first

third of this eye-opening documentary on the food industry is nothing short of brilliant. It cleverly incorporates a number of cinematic techniques to make its points and opens up the film much the way Jonathan Demme did last year in his documentary on former President Jimmy Carter, Man From Plains. It would be hard to sustain such cleverness and originality and the middle third of the film bogs down into more traditional (and clichéd) documentary techniques with lots of interviews and secret footage. One interview with a mother whose 12 year old son died from E-coli poisoning, while pertinent to the story, is handled in such a way as to be an obvious ploy to outrage us and gain our sympathy. The final third combines technique with content and it is here that the real horror of what has happened and what is happening really hits home. It’s not just

the abuse of the animals or the workers involved which in itself is bad enough but the realization that most of the food we eat is prepared as if it were just fast food. A mass produced commodity made as quickly and as cheaply as possible with company profits being the bottom line. Fortunately our food supply hasn’t become Soylent Green. At least not yet. The ultimate and ultimately unsettling paradox concerning this film (just like Al Gore’s global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth) is that most of the people who need to see it won’t and those few who do will just shrug their shoulders and say “Oh, really” or “I never would have thought…” and then go out and order themselves a Big Mac. That is more disturbing than anything Food, Inc has to offer. Rated PG for thematic material and disturbing images Review by Chip Kaufmann

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince ∑∑∑∑1/2

Short Take: The sixth installment in J.K. Rowling’s wizardry series is brought to magical life on the big screen.

Reel Take: After a prolonged wait, Harry Potter fans across the globe were recently rewarded with one of the best films yet of J.K. Rowling’s fantastically popular wizardry series. Now in their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Wizardry Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) and the rest of the gang are 17 years old, so of course battling ‘he who should not be named’ sometimes takes a back seat to teen angst and the pangs of love. Add the death of a friend, the death of a god-father and being brought up on charges

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by the Ministry of Magic in just the last two books alone, one can understand tangible bitterness and mistrust layered within Harry’s angst. However, since proving to the wizarding world that Lord Voldemort is back in the last film, there is a lot for Harry and Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to do if they are going to stop the dark lord. To this end Dumbledore charges Harry with the task of extracting a most important memory from the new potions teacher Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), which will give them the final puzzle piece in understanding and dismantling the source of Voldemort’s power. Combine this with a few swims in the Pensieve, hunting for Horcruxes, a mysterious potions book formerly belong to ‘the half-blood prince,’ Malfoy’s efforts to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) playing double agent to the light and dark side, Hermione pining for Ron, Ron in permanent lip-lock with Lavender Brown, Harry falling for Ron’s sister Ginny, and a heartbreaking, climatic end that leaves Hogwarts changed forever, you have a pretty full movie. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince sets the stage for the seventh and final chapter, which is smartly being divided into two movies. As usual, Rowling’s creative vision is perfectly transferred to the screen through the magic of movies. The stellar cast of Brit actors remains top drawer and Michael Gambon truly owns the character of Dumbledore after taking over for the late, great Richard Harris in the third film. Director David Yates makes a triumphant return at the helm and succeeds in bringing heart back to the storyline, which fell flat in his last venture. After all, it is love that conquers evil and it is love and love alone that is more powerful than any wizardry. Rated PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sexuality. Review by Michelle Keenan

movie reviews

TEEN REVIEW by Sierra Bicking Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ∑∑∑∑

Michael Gambon and Daniel Radcliffe take a swim in the Pensieve in “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.”

What, another 3D animation movie? Yes folks, it’s another one of those films where you have to pay extra to get the 3D glasses–but you won’t miss much if you see the 2D version instead. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is an icy adventure featuring the same characters that were in the last movie, along with a few interesting new ones. Manny and Ellie (two mammoths who fell in love in the previous movie) are awaiting the birth of their mammoth-baby, while Sid the (really weird) sloth steals Sierra Bicking is an arte aficionado some dinosaur eggs extraordinaire. because he wants a

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

family of his own. After the eggs hatch, the dinosaur mom steals her offspring back and kidnaps, er, “slothnaps” Sid in the process, taking them all to a “Lost World” under the ice. Predictably, Manny and Ellie (Ray Romano and Queen Latifah) go after him, accompanied by their saber-toothed tiger friend Diego (Denis Leary) and Ellie’s frenetic opossum “brothers.” Meanwhile, that crazy squirrel Scrat (Chris Wedge) is still vainly persuing the same darn nut, and ends up battling (and falling in love with?) the foxy female squirrel, Scratte (Karen Disher). Hey, maybe Scrat stole the nut from her just

to break the ice... Although the plot is a bit prehistoric, the movie’s characters are oddly lovable and its message about loyalty and belonging is both touching and entertaining. The film also features some remarkable animation, although it isn’t necessary to watch it in 3D as there aren’t any really breath-taking 3D moments and it doesn’t add a lot to the movie. All in all, it’s a cool flick to go see with your own quirky family. Rated PG for some mild rude humor and peril.

Movie Nights at Pritchard Park

oin Reel Takes’ own Chip Kaufmann Saturday nights in August in Pritchard Park for a summer film series featuring an array of films from 1932, the year Pritchard Park opened. Chip will offer an introduction and some insight into each of the films. Movie Nights at Pritchard Park is presented by The Friends of Prichard Park. The series is funded by donations from The Alvy Fund. Moviegoers are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or a blanket and picnic or enjoy dinner before or after the film at one of downtown’s many cafés and restaurants. Movies begin at dark.

August 15

Scarface

Subtitled “The Shame of a Nation,” Scarface chronicles the rise and fall of a Chicago mobster loosely based on Al Capone. This film was considered shockingly violent for its day and is still called one of the most powerful gangster films ever made. (NOT to be confused with the Al Pacino film of the same name.)

August 1

Tarzan the Ape Man

Co-stars Maureen O’Sullivan as Jane and, of course, Chetah! “The first Weissmuller Tarzan is still one of the best.” ~ Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress.

August 8

Murders in the Rue Morgue

Deranged scientist Bela Lugosi seeks a beautiful female companion for his gorilla. Enough said?

August 22

Blonde Venus

Forget Angelina and Madonna. Marlene Dietrich is a diva for the ages. Called “beautiful and strange” (much like Dietrich herself), this film is the fourth pairing between the actress and legendary director Josef von Sternberg. Marlene’s sultry version of “Hot Voodoo” – sung while wearing a gorilla suit – is classic cinema!

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Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 25

movie reviews

Errol Flynn: Remembering a True Original

009 marks two very significant occasions for actor Errol Flynn. It is the 100th anniversary of his birth (6/20/1909) and the 50th anniversary of his death (10/14/59). Between 1933 and 1959 he lived a life that few could emulate even if they wanted to and he left us a lasting celluloid legacy that continues to captivate today, especially in his signature roles. Born in Hobart, Tasmania to a respected biologist, Errol Flynn had a devil may care attitude from an early age. He came to films after a variety of odd jobs (sheep castrater!?!) when at the age of 24 he was chosen to play Fletcher Christian in an Australian film about Pitcairn’s Island. He was an actual descendant of Christian on his mother’s side. The film wasn’t very good but it got him noticed and was his ticket to Hollywood. Once there he was signed to a contract at Warner Brothers and appeared in half a dozen films before he hit the big time. That was with Captain Blood in 1935 and he remained a star until 1953 when the rise of television, the collapse of the old studio system, and the fact that he was too old for his heroic action roles brought about a slowdown in his career. He had a pretty good run, though, appearing in 62 films from 1933 to shortly before his death in 1959. His 1938

Chip Kaufmann

remake of Douglas Fairbanks’ Robin Hood remains the role that he is best remembered for. The Adventures of Robin Hood seems as fresh today as when it first appeared, especially in the restored DVD version. Other quality roles were in other period dramas such as Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Elizabeth and Essex (with Bette Davis – 1939), They Died With Their Boots On (as General Custer – 1941), and Rudyard Kipling’s Kim (1950). In addition to his signature roles, he singlehandedly (or so his critics said) won the Second World War in such patriotic fare as Desperate Journey (1942), Edge of Darkness (1943), and Objective Burma (1945). This caused something of a backlash against him in Europe and especially in England. It was at this time that he gained his greatest notoriety. This came about as the result of his involvement in a celebrated rape trial (1942) from which he was ultimately acquitted. The phrase “In like Flynn” was coined and his popularity remained undiminished although secretly most people thought he was guilty. By 1953 Flynn had lost his looks and

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Moon ∑∑∑∑

Short Take: Intelligent sci-fi from first time director Duncan Jones contains a remarkable performance from Sam Rockwell.

Reel Take: As I sat in the darkened Fine

Arts Theatre watching Moon, I was reminded of so many other science-fiction films that I don’t know where to begin. Outside of the obvious ones like 2001:A Space Odyssey (1968), Silent Running (1972), and the original Solaris (1972), there was also Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969), Dark Star (1974), and even George Lucas’ THX-1138. All of these movies are from the first decade after the production code ended (1968-1977) when a lot of high quality intelligent sci-fi films were made. It says something about Moon that I would place it in such company. The setting is the near future where an endless supply of cheap, clean energy has been discovered on the dark side of

Sam Rockwell has a lunar base all to himself (or does he?) in “Moon.”

the moon which can provide up to 70% of Earth’s energy needs. While most of the work is mechanical and/or automated, there needs to be a human there to oversee it all. The tour of duty is three years and there’s a friendly talking computer, GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) to assist in running things and to help combat loneliness. The current occupant of the moon base is Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) whose shift is scheduled to end in three weeks, at

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his type of entertainment was passé. He appeared in fewer and fewer films but three of them, The Sun Also Rises (1957), The Roots of Heaven and Too Much, Too Soon (both 1958) showed him off to good advantage. In the last named film he got to play his close friend and old drinking crony John Barrymore who had died in 1942. He was married three times and had four children. The oldest of them, Sean (b.1941), became a photojournalist and disappeared in Cambodia in 1971. His autobiography My Wicked, Wicked Ways, published posthumously, gives us an unvarnished look at himself and those around him, especially in Hollywood. If you can find a copy of it, I highly recommend it. Flynn made no apologies for himself or the life he lived. His drinking, carousing, and opium addiction eventually caught up with him and he died shortly after his 50th birthday. The doctor who performed the autopsy thought he was 75 years old. But that’s not the Errol Flynn we remember. He will always live on in the roles he made famous, characters that have a roguish sense of humor, an unending supply of energy and enthusiasm, and a strong sense of fair play.

which time he can return to Earth to see his wife and young daughter. During a routine maintenance excursion outside the base an accident occurs and Sam wakes up in the infirmary. What happened? How did he get there and is there anyone else there with him? What does GERTY the computer know about this and why isn’t he telling Sam? To go into further detail would spoil the rest of the proceedings. Sam Rockwell is always an interesting performer who usually picks his projects with care. His performance here is the best of his career, which it needs to be as this is essentially a one man show. Not since Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers have I seen an actor give this kind of remarkable performance. It will stay with you long after the film is finished. My one criticism with Moon is that it is hard to follow at times. First time writer-director Duncan Jones (who borrows his central theme from Karel Capek’s 1921 expressionistic play R.U.R) hasn’t yet worked out the finer points of cinematic

storytelling. No matter. This is a first rate effort, shot on a small budget that delivers far more than most of the megabucks sci-fi offerings of recent years. Rated R for language and brief nudity. Review by Chip Kaumfann

Public Enemies ∑∑∑1/2

Short Take: A good film – that could have been great – about the infamous bank robber John Dillinger.

Reel Take: John Dillinger was an

American folk hero of the 1930s. He was renowned for robbing banks in very short order and for hitting the fat cats with deep pockets, not your average Joe. This, of course, made him a popular figure to the common man of the 1930’s. The government on the other hand, did not see Dillinger with such rose-tinted glasses. His thieving prowess and celebrity made him Public Enemy #1. It’s a great story. Unfortunately Michael Mann’s recent interpretation of Dillinger’s story is good, but it’s falls far short of great. Mann packs so much into the two and half hour running time that the story becomes somewhat episodic rather than fluid. The audience should have been cheering for Dillinger but instead we are left interested but emotionally detached. Johnny Depp does a fine job Johnny Depp is Public Enemy #1, John Dillinger.

channeling Dillinger and you like him (albeit with lukewarm enthusiasm), but the choppiness of the film limits the layers of this charismatic figure, and in fact fails to make a 21st century audience see why this guy was so wildly popular with the masses. Though you wouldn’t know it from the performance, the other character in the film who was also an American folk hero in his own right is William Purvis, played by Christian Bale. Purvis was the rather hunky FBI agent that Herbert Hoover assigned to take down Public Enemy #1. Unfortunately Bale breathes about as much life into Purvis as dilapidated cardboard. I’ll put it this way, without the rubber suit Bale’s Batman is a bit of a monotone buzz kill; there’s no bat ‘Movies’ continued on page 27

‘Movies’ continued from page 26

suit in this movie … but we still have the buzz kill. Watching him, I kept hearing Heath Ledger’s Joker voice saying, “It’s simple … kill the G-man.” This really is too bad, as it would have been far more engaging to see a real battle of character between the ‘good’ guy and the ‘bad’ guy. When Purvis’ team finally does take down Public Enemy #1 outside a Chicago movie theatre (this is a well known fact and should not be a spoiler for anyone) Mann takes altogether too long in the actual gunning down and post mortem pan. What this was supposed to evoke I don’t know, but it didn’t work for me. It is from this bit of screen time that we see once again, there are no small parts just small actors. Stephen Lang plays one of the agents that guns Dillinger down. Just before Dillinger dies Agent Winstead leans down to hear his last words. Lang displays such dignity, respect and breadth of character in that moment and the subsequent scene between he and Billie, it shows us qualities that could have made Public Enemies a far more intriguing and engaging film. The only main cast member who is able to actually transcend the emotional void of the story is Marion Cotillard. Perhaps it is because her character is Dillinger’s heart. She is not a part of the world that he inhabits with the likes of Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd; she is his love, and a true love it was. Rated R for gangster violence and some language Review by Michelle Keenan

Fall AICFF Tickets On Sale Now Tickets are now on sale for the first Asheville International Children’s Film Festival (AICFF), November 2-8, a weeklong treasure trove of 70 films from 25 countries and three hands-on workshops for kids. The festival will showcase the very best in international children’s cinema — eye-popping animation, comedy, fairy tales, edge-of-your-seat adventure, gripping documentaries, and lots of stories sure to make kids stop and think. Tickets are $50 for the Gala. Weekday showings are $5 which include a drink and popcorn. Weekend admission is $4/ kids and $5/adults. The pancake breakfast is $10 and the workshops are $7.

For more information please visit www.aicff.org

movie reviews

Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: “My Dinner with Jimi”

August DVD Picks

My Dinner with Jimi (2003)

2003 was the very first year of the Asheville Film Festival and I was one of three final judges on hand to select the Festival’s Best Picture. The clear winner that year was this film, My Dinner With Jimi, a story that recaptures the Summer of Love (1967), from director Bill Fishman. Fishman is best known for the 1988 cult film Tapeheads with John Cusack and Tim Robbins. His other films include Desperate but Not Serious and a big screen version of the old TV show Car 54, Where Are You? My Dinner With Jimi (the title is a play on the celebrated arthouse film My Dinner With Andre) takes place during the so called “Summer of Love” in 1967 when the California based pop group The Turtles were first making it big and were invited to go to London for the first time. Once there they meet such 60s Brit stalwarts as The Hollies, The Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones and of course The Beatles, whose groundbreaking album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was just about to be released. The core of the film centers around a dinner with Howard Kaylan, lead singer for The Turtles (who wrote the screenplay) and guitarist Jimi Hendrix who is on his way to the Monterrey Pop Festival and superstardom. The film is funny, enlightening, and as the 40th anniversary of Woodstock

approaches later this month, a real time capsule of what music was like in that era. It also boasts terrific performances from the grown up Justin Henry (Kramer-vs-Kramer) as Kaylan and Royale Watkins as Hendrix.

The Untouchables (1987)

After seeing Public Enemies (see my review on page 26) this month I knew my DVD pick would undoubtedly be another gangster film. I debated between Manhattan Melodrama and The Untouchables, both of which were quite worthy, albeit in different ways. While Manhattan Melodrama (William Powell, Clark Gable, Myrna Loy) is a great film and plays a key part in Public Enemies, I chose The Untouchables. The reasons are threefold. First, it’s the flip side of Public Enemies. We are drawn to the side of the ‘bad guy’ in Public Enemies, while in The Untouch-

WCU’s Galaxy of Stars

uests of Western Carolina University’s Fine and Performing Arts Center can savor the relaxed feel of a Sunday matinee with the 2009-10 Galaxy of Stars Series, presented by the College of Fine and Performing Arts. This season, the series’ fifth, features nine shows of theater, music, dance, the visual arts and film from August through April. Season tickets are $125 – a savings of 40 percent over single ticket prices. Season tickets for children ages 5-17 are $45.

Sundays in the ’PAC GRITS: The Musical – 3 p.m. Sunday, Au-

gust 30. Four women of four generations tell four different stories. Barrage – 3 p.m. Sunday, September 20. High-energy fiddling featuring an international, multitalented cast.

Michelle Keenan’s Pick: “The Untouchables” ables, we side with Elliott Ness. Second, Kevin Costner has gotten a bad rap lately and while [yes] I am one of the folks who rooted for the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) in 1993’s Robin Hood, Costner has some wonderful and important films to his credit and this one ranks among the best of them. Third and foremost, Brian De Palma succeeds in his story where Michael Mann’s film does not. The Untouchables tells the story of Elliott Ness and his troupe of do-gooders, out to get Al Capone in prohibition era Chicago. While this story never backs down from good guy versus bad guy, it does show the futility and pithiness of prohibition, the blurred lines of corruption and even the silliness of some social morays. It’s the layers that De Palma so deftly crafts that make the grade. It’s big budget Hollywood blockbuster replete with a memorable, over the top Morricone score. Yet, by the same token, De Palma took the time to include some unique artistic elements, most especially in the camera work, and also peppers the story with intimate, small film moments. It’s got an almost corny Americana-esque about it, yet it still has an edge. Completing the package is Sean Connery in an Oscar-winning performance, a young Andy Garcia, Charles Martin Smith and a hefty Robert DeNiro as Capone. The Untouchables engages and entertains and ultimately has great heart. Take a note Mr. Mann.

2009-2010 Season

Feelin’ Groovy – 3 p.m. Sunday, October

4. A musical salute to Simon and Garfunkel by Jim Witter. A Midsummer Night’s Dream – 3 p.m. Sunday, November 1. This production of the WCU stage and screen department merges reality and the fantastic.

Corbian: A Glow in the Dark Adventure – 3 p.m. Sunday, November 15. A dinosaur discovers love – a combination of dance and electroluminescence.

The North Carolina Symphony: Holiday Pops – 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 11. A

Barrage performs high-energy fiddle music September 20.

Tom Mullica’s tribute to Red Skelton – 3 p.m. Sunday, February 14.

Ballet Magnificat! The Hiding Place –

3 p.m. Sunday, April 18. A Christian ballet company celebrates divine forgiveness.

sight and sound spectacular.

The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra: The Clown Princes – 3 p.m. Sunday, January

31. A live orchestra accompanies scenes from classic silent films by Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.

If You Go:

Season tickets available at www.ticketreturn.com. For more information on the “Sundays in the ’PAC” Galaxy of Stars Series, go to www.wcu.edu/fapac.

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 27

artful living

Wholeheartedness of Presence oday’s sermon is built around a teaching by 20th Century Zen Master Dainin Katagiri that says, “In Wholeheartedness of Presence, the Buddha is realized, the Dharma is lived and the Sangha is shared.” First, let me explain that Katagiri is referencing a foundational teaching of Buddhism known as the “Triple Gems”, which states, “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma (the teachings of Buddhism) and I take refuge in the Sangha (the community of Buddhism)” In order to understand what is being said both in the Triple Gems and then in the derivative teaching of Katagiri, we must understand what “Buddha” means. Although the Triple Gems teaching is often taken literally, the spirit of Buddhism calls for a more nuanced interpretation. “Buddha”, as referenced here is not some savior-like figure that we are instructed to worship, and in whose infinite love and compassion we will find refuge, but rather, as the word “buddha” means “awakened”, it is in the awakening of Siddhartha Gotama, who became known as The Bud-

Bill Walz

dha, the Awakened One, that we are to find refuge, solace and instruction. It is the awakening that illuminated the person Siddhartha, and can illuminate the world that is important. Buddhist teaching has The Buddha’s awakening available not only to Siddhartha, but to every human. Every person is a potential buddha, an awakened being. This is the great revelation and hope. With this understanding, we can then understand that “Dharma” is not about sacred texts, but rather, the means, the path, the practices and insights that lead to awakening. - And “Sangha” is not a church or religious sect, but rather, the human community of those who have awakened. Now we have sound footing, not based

in blind faith, but in a realizable tranism: “Since we are not solely material creascendent experience within which to tures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for find anchorage and refuge. Buddhism happiness on external development alone. teaches that we find refuge from our The key is to develop inner peace.” suffering by awakening into the This teaching is pointing to the mistruth of who we are beneath the taken illusion that humanity has labored untransitory forms of the world. der since time immemorial. Because of the We cannot find true refuge in unique characteristic of humans - in all of any faith, church, ideology or nacreation - to create a sense of separate self in tion. And certainly we cannot the mental realm that psychology calls ego, find refuge in possessions, we exist within the delusion that happiness wealth, success and power comes when we look to the world external — they always and eventuto ourselves to provide for us the means to ally slip beyond our grasp achieve happiness. or fail to fulfill. We find Our lives are spent caught in a timethat everything in the bound story of “Me” with a history, a past, world, as desperately of fulfillment or frustration of finding the as we try to acquire or means to happiness, and of projecting into a hold on to, even health, future that we hope will fulfill that happiness always-satisfying love — always, endlessly, needing more. The and relationships, or life itself — none of it history of our individual lives and the hisremains as we would have it remain. We are tory of humanity points to the futility of this always left with the gnawing sense of someperspective. Oceans of grief are the legacy thing more being needed for our complete of humanity seeking happiness through fulfillment. acquisition of external wealth, status, power, And in our failure to acquire or preserve enduring exclusive personal loyalties, even our desires — our imagined sources of fulimmortality. As the Dalai Lama is pointing fillment — we are caught in the world of inout, “It is a mistake to place all our hopes for security, of un-fulfillment, of suffering. No. We must look deeper for our refuge, Fulfillment is in the realization, deeper than all the external the living and the sharing of and surface phenomenon wholehearted, awakened presence. and forms of this world. And certainly, our refuge is not to be found in anything otherworldly, as many religions promise. happiness on external development alone. Remember, I said we are looking for the The key is to develop inner peace.” We must truth of who we are beneath the transitory find the happiness within ourselves. But forms of the world, not beyond them. how are we to do this? So, what is the truth that is the liberaAgain, Katagiri returns with his riddle, tion from suffering that Buddhism teaches or in Zen language, his koan, that promises us to awaken into? What is the truth of “in wholeheartedness of presence” awakenwho we are beneath the transitory forms? ing into the truth of real happiness is expeThat’s the question. And it is what Katagiri rienced. If the ego represents, as Buddhism answers. He instructs us that the “awakenbelieves, a false sense of self, because it is ing” is the realization of “wholeheartedness constructed of fleeting form representaof presence.” Katagiri clues us that this is tions of self in a world of fleeting forms, the secret to realizing the awakening, and to what then is the enduring self that is beyond realizing what is awakened into. Then, this the impermanence and fleetingness that so gem of simplicity also instructs us to find frustrates our search for happiness? The true and give happiness in sharing the awakself must be discovered. ening, to find and share the discovery of Zen commands that we ask, “Who is living from wholeheartedness of presence. this ‘I’?” And we must ask, and discover, in Fulfillment is in the realization, the living order to experience the liberating awakenand the sharing of wholehearted, awakened ing of the Buddha, “Who is this ‘I’?” Again, presence. This is buddha. Katagiri points us in the direction of the Buddhism is built around the premise answer. “In wholeheartedness of presence, that every being wishes only to be happy, but the Buddha (the awakening) is realized.” has no idea how to achieve this happiness. That which is our essence is found in total The Dalai Lama says about happiness: and complete presence, undistracted by the “I believe that the very purpose of life cravings, desires and fears of the separate is to be happy. From the very core of our individual egoic self. being, we desire contentment… In my own Let us find out some more of what limited experience I have found that the Katagiri tells us about this, “To be a disciple more we care for the happiness of others, the or a son, or a daughter of the Buddha means greater is our own sense of well-being.” And we are people who accept the lives of all senabout the search for happiness in material-

‘Wholeheartedness’ continued on pg. 31

28 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

artful living

the death of the form you have associated as you, but will not itself die. “Who tient beings as the content of our life. The is this I?” It is the consciousness that is universe is vast. The universe completely pure presence within the pure presence accepts us, accepts our lives as the contents of the universe unfolding. This self is of the universe. The universe never sepacalled the buddha-self, awakened. As rates its life from our lives. When we accept philosopher/theologian Alan Watts said, others’ lives as the content of our life, then “We are the universe peering into itself others’ lives become very close to us. from billions of points of view.” To close, I share words from Zen Master Thich Nhat With this awakening, we can begin Hanh, on how to live to heal ourselves, to heal our discovering the happiness we all seek: relationships, to heal our communities, “Live your daily to heal our society and its politics, and life in a way that you finally, to heal the planet... never lose yourself. When you are carried away with your wor“If we see deeply the total picture of ries, fears, cravings, anger, and desire, the human world, how transient the world you run away from yourself and you lose is, how fragile human life is, then we can yourself. The practice is always to go hear the cries of the world, we can see the back to oneself.” path through which we and the universe are “The most precious gift we can offer crossing. If we sit with wholeheartedness, others is our presence. When mindfulsome part of our body feels it directly. We ness embraces those we love, they will can feel peaceful because our presence and bloom like flowers.” the presence of the universe are exactly in And so will we. Remember the self the same place. This is what is called wholethat is wholehearted, that feels peace heartedness.” (From Returning to Silence) because our presence and the presence Wholeheartedness is the experience of of the universe are exactly in the same our presence and the presence of the uniplace. This is the answer to the question, verse and all sentient beings that make up “Who is this ‘I’?”, It is the consciousness the universe as the same. We’re not talking that witnesses and does not judge, that about the forms — for the forms appear as has no fear or aversion, for it realizes different, and are fleeting — but the unitself as the universe unfolding without a derlying consciousness, the unified field of thought, and so, can give rise to thoughts energy — perhaps you will allow the term, not of fear and lack and separation, but spirit — that permeates the universe before of connection, unity and peace. the experience of separateness of form leads This is what it means to be budto the delusion of a separate self. We are the dha, awakened. With this awakening, we universe. The universe is us. There can be can begin to heal ourselves, to heal our no separation. This has the feel of immortal relationships, to heal our communities, soul that the Western religions are pointing to heal our society and its politics, and toward, but miss terribly when interpreted finally, to heal the planet as we align self as an immortal continuation of the indiat the level of I the individual, I within vidual personality, the “I” of form, not, the family, I within community, I within essential “I”. society and I on the planet with the Back to the question: “Who is this awakened truth of who we are. ‘I’?” Beneath your thoughts, emotions and The universe, containing all sentient actions, who is this “I”? This is the fruit of beings, as one, separate in expression real meditation, whether it is done in formal of form, but one in consciousness and sitting, or in the living meditation when we ultimately, in destiny. stop running the surface story of me. When we step out of the mistaken self-referencing and endlessly needy egoic self in the midst Bill Walz is a UNCA of living and doing, to discover that this “I” adjunct faculty member is not the conditioned and transitory forms and a private-practice floating through the mind as thoughts and teacher of mindfulness, emotions, but rather, is awareness conpersonal growth and sciousness itself. consciousness. He holds a This “I” is the consciousness of witnessweekly meditation class, ing awareness within which the transitory Mondays, 7 p.m., at the Friends Meeting thoughts and emotions emerge and pass. It House, 227 Edgewood. Information on is the awareness that witnessed your birth, classes, personal growth and healing witnesses the hearing of the bird’s song, the instruction, or phone consultations at experience of love, that is here witnessing (828) 258-3241, or e-mail at healing@ these moments, that will someday witness billwalz.com. Visit www.billwalz.com. ‘Wholeheartedness’ continued from page 30

Wood Day on August 8

he Folk Art Center will host its annual celebration of wood crafts at Wood Day on August 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festivities include live demonstrations and the Ninth Annual Carve-Off Competition from 1 to 3 p.m. For the contest, participants have two hours to turn a simple block of wood into a work of art. Carvers must sign up by 12:30 to participate. The Folk Art Center’s auditorium will be filled with lathes, sawhorses, wood tools and the master craftspeople who know how to use them. Demonstrations include flute making, wood turning, broom making and furniture making. The Carolina Mountain Woodturners will help visitors try working on a lathe. Southern Highland Craft Guild members Sandra Rowland and Jan Morris will host activities and take home projects for children.

If You Go:

Marlow Gates demonstrates broom making.

Photo: Stewart Stokes

Admission to Wood Day and the Folk Art Center is free. The Folk Art Center is located at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. For more information, call (828) 298-7928 or visit www. craftguild.org.

TRAC Annual Art Auction

he Toe River Arts Council’s 32nd Annual TRAC Benefit Arts Auction takes place on Sunday, August 9 in downtown Spruce Pine. Items in glass, wood, fiber, clay, fabric, paper, stone, and metals are but a few of the works generously donated by local artists and craftspeople that will be auctioned by expert auctioneer David Little. Auction volunteer chairman and TRAC Board Member, Corrine Shilling, comments, “The TRAC Board is grateful to the many artists who have donated their work to benefit the many programs of the Toe River Arts Council. The theme for this year’s auction illustrates truly what the auction is about: “Enrich Your Lives: Support the Arts!” There are at least 100 lots of art in the live auction and close to 100 in the Silent Auction that are donated by local artisans and craftspeople that benefit the activities of the Toe River Arts Council. An exhibit of the auction items will be on display in the TRAC Center Gallery from through August 9, 2009. The Gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 to 5 p.m. (and until 6 p.m. on August 8). This provides guests the opportunity to pre-register for the auction, start placing bids on any of the auction items, and view the artwork that will be in the live auction. A popular addition includes the “buy now” features where any item in the auction can be purchased immediately at the “buy now” premium price through Saturday, August 8. Proceeds from the Auction benefit the continuance of the many school and community programs sponsored by the Toe

Denise Cook

River Arts Council. TRAC art education programs serve 5,000 public and private schools in Yancey and Mitchell counties. The nine annual events, monthly exhibitions, communication services and more serve the citizens of Yancey and Mitchell counties year-round. All auction events will take place in the TRAC Center Gallery, 269 Oak Avenue, Spruce Pine. Call (828) 7650520, (828) 682-7215, or email TRAC@toeriverarts. org for information. Visit our website at www.toeriverarts.org.

If You Go:

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 29

Disasters

y daughter and I had a blinding realization at the local movie store. All appearances to the contrary, we are not “chicks”. Given our taste in movies, we are “guys.” Sure, we like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Across the Universe” and “Ever After” but when we are looking for athome movie therapy, there are often monsters and blowing-up involved. We spent a relaxing evening at home with Jason Bourne lately and always watch “Independence Day” while working in the kitchen. I have a special place in my heart for disaster movies. If there are volcanoes, that is even better. Big storms, earthquakes, fires — all of these showcase Nature at her most dramatic and give our species a chance to display some of our most noble and useful traits. The books, of course, are better than the movies. Here are a few true stories about Nature and people and, yeah, some things blow up. They’re great late summer reading.

“Triangle: the Fire That Changed America” by David von Drehle

Most people don’t even know what a shirtwaist is (it’s a woman’s blouse) but this particular disaster lead to some important changes in the way the garment industry does business and some schools are including this story in the American history curriculum. In 1911, there was a horrific fire in a building housing a sweat shop staffed by mostly immigrant women. It was a modern building by the standards of the day and most of the people in it escaped. On the 9th floor, however, the exit doors were locked and the women trapped

book reviews

there either jumped from the windows or died of burns and smoke inhalation. 146 workers died and the aftermath was almost as horrific. The strength of the newlyformed International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union was one of the direct results of this workplace accident. Von Drehle does an excellent job of sorting through the available information and presenting a compelling story. There’s a also a website for more detailed info on the fire www.ilr.cornell. edu/trianglefire/. The scientific community’s internal catfights are generally kept within the ghettos of those circles. But what happened on Galeras in 1993 produced several fascinating papers and two “popular science” books — each detailing one side of the events that unfolded in Colombia.

“No Apparent Danger: The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz” by Victoria Bruce. Bruce gives us

some backstory on the geological area, adding to the Galeras information an account of an earlier event — the Nevado del Ruiz eruption in 1985. The eruption produced a pyroclastic flow and lahar (a flood of mud and associated debris) that buried the town

H. Byron Ballard

of Armero, killing more than 20,000 people. This volcanically active area in the Andes was the stage for the grudge match between Stanley Williams (who survived the Galeras event) and several other scientists who also survived a trek to the volcano during a conference in Pasto. Six scientists and some onlookers died in the unexpected (or was it?) eruption. Williams did his own book (with Fen Montaigne) “Surviving Galeras” that told his part of the story. Both books are good accounts of the events and they give outsiders a fascinating look at the field and the characters that people this world of “extreme” science. The science is interesting, too, as we get some idea of the progress the scientific community is making towards predicting geological events and the politics and personalities involved therein.

“The Perfect Storm: a True Story of Men Against the Sea” by Sebastian Junger

There’s not much to say about this book — you should just read it. It is a scary account of the last hours of a fishing boat called the Andrea Gail and her crew in 1991, in the Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia. It is well-researched and written. And out of the fame of both the book and the movie (and Junger’s deep affection for the town of Gloucester and its people), the author established the Perfect Storm Foundation. The foundation’s goal is “to provide educational and cultural opportunities to young people whose parents make their living in the com-

mercial fishing industry and in working maritime communities.” (www.perfectstorm.org). The book is better than the movie and the movie is pretty darned good.

“Firestorm at Peshtigo: a Town, Its People and the Deadliest Fire in American History” by

Denise Gess and William Lutz We’ve all heard about the Great Fire of Chicago but our history doesn’t often get to the details of the area outside the big city. The weather conditions that lead to the firestorm that devastated this small mining town in northern Wisconsin in 1871 seemed terribly familiar to one who grew up in the mountains of WNC, where a dry August night often held the threat of wild fire. This wildfire destroyed more than a million acres of timber and farmland and killed about 2,000 people. The authors are sticklers for detail (maybe a little too much, given the subject) and the writing draws the reader in to a different world and time. They read many first-hand accounts and the story is as heartbreaking as it is forgotten. There are many more books in this mini-genre and it is a genre that is not for everyone. But for the “guys” (whatever their gender) and adrenaline-junkies who want to get their heart-rate up by reading, these true tales are great. Nature gives us the relaxation of floating down an old quiet river and the plant and animal diversity of the Blue Ridge. Nice. And then there are exploding volcanoes and avalanches and devastating floods. Atmospheric and geologic diversity are part of the big picture, too. Byron Ballard is a bookseller at indie Accent on Books, a writer and an organic gardener. Her writings have appeared in local and national print and electronic media. She is currently at work on a primer called “Earth Works.” Byron blogs for the Asheville Citizen-Times as the Village Witch (www.citizen-times.com/ villagewitch) and lives in historic West End with her husband Joe and daughter Kate.

Literary Trivia Night Tuesday, August 18, at 7 p.m.

$45 For All 4 Books! (Includes autograph and S&H)

To order call Jaileen at (828) 488-8216 www.tictocproductions.com Order MoonBow and Meek-El online at Amazon.com, Alibris.com, and BarnesAndNoble.com 30 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

Booker Prize winner John Banville has authored books under what pseudonym? Which recent New York Times bestseller combines the refined sensibilities of Jane Austen with the horrific comedy of the undead? Find out these answers and more at Malaprop’s Literary Trivia night hosted by Lauren and Stella Harr. Prizes will be awarded! Malaprop’s, 55 Haywood Road in Asheville. Call (828) 254-6734 for details, or visit www.malaprops.com

poetry

The Poetry of Jim Minick

he Blue Ridge, which was Secret Song avoid sentimentality by the earliest settled section of focusing on the quotidian aspects Appalachia and one of the of her life and death. In “For the more influential cultural Trashman,” the poet addresses the regions in the United States, practical necessity of disposing some falls primarily in the western parts of his aunt’s material possessions, of two states: North Carolina and listing things she once owned that Virginia. Rapid River has offered cannot be kept, including “grade (and will continue to specialize in books, 36 years / of black marks, the Jim Minick, offering) ongoing coverage of poets sixth-graders / not always progresspoet. from western North Carolina. ing as she wished.” This column, though, will venEnsuring that Her Secret ture northward along the crest of the Blue Song presents a full portrayal of his aunt, Ridge to discuss the work of Jim Minick, Minick includes family photographs who resides on an organic blueberry farm depicting various phases of her life — an in Virginia and who teaches in the English entirely appropriate contribution to this Department at Radford University. book because several of the poems allude While his poems and essays have been to specific photographs. What renders Her published in regional and literary periodicals Secret Song memorable, ultimately, is the for nearly two decades, Minick’s first book degree to which Minick commits himself to — a collection of essays entitled Finding a evaluating the full impact of his aunt Ruth Clear Path (West Virginia University Press) on his own life. — appeared in 2005, and his second and While not thematically linked like those third books were published in 2008 — both in Her Secret Song, the poems in Minick’s books of poetry: Her Secret Song (Motes other poetry collection are concerned with Books) and Burning Heaven (Wind Publicasome of the same themes. Burning Heaven, tions). Minick’s fourth book — an account for instance, features poems that calmly of his work in establishing the aforemenaccept the inevitability of death (“Uncle tioned blueberry farm — will be published Mark”), recall the uniqueness of a famin late 2009. ily member (“Uncle Bill’s Puzzles”), or Finding a Clear Path is both eloquent in assess the transcendent meanings of mateits celebration of the agrarian way-of-life and rial objects (“Attic”). That collection also insightful regarding ways that people can incorporates poems that would not fit better serve as stewards of the mountains; into Her Secret Song, such as “Even from readers who value Wendell Berry’s work will this Distance” (which recalls young love), find Minick’s prose to be of interest. Never“Blackwings” (which memorializes soldiers theless, Minick’s poetry is less didactic, and who died in the Vietnam War), and “Site more complex emotionally and philosophiR” (which questions the U.S. government’s cally, than the essays in Finding a Clear Path. plan to escape a nuclear war by bunkering Her Secret Song, for instance, is a moving under the Virginia mountains). cycle of poems in which the poet celebrates Some of the most poignant individual the life and chronicles the death of his aunt poems in Burning Heaven are “Dehorning” Ruth, a schoolteacher. (which conveys a child’s horror at his uncle’s As an example of his keen awareness dehorning of a calf) and two of the several of the vulnerability of all sentient beings, poems bearing environmental themes: “WalMinick relates within the poem “In the Garnuts and Worm” and “The Meadow.” Many den” the moment when he returns his aunt’s readers will relate strongly to the power of ashes to the earth: reminiscence expressed in the latter poem: The chalky fineness surprises us all, like baby powder tinted gray. We carry rake and box to silty plot pull back weeds and tomato stalks, take turns pinching and spreading the fine ash. “Here you go, Ruth,” I pray. “As you wishes.” The burnt dust shocks the writhing worms, their slick coats suddenly bone dry. I cannot rake the dirt back fast enough and walk away wondering if they too will die. Granted the poet’s sadness at his beloved aunt’s passing, the poems in Her

Fom the shade of this giant hickory, paths once spread through the meadow like roots tendriling and bare. I called the cows then from this tree, whistling to wait for lumbering ladies who hungered for corn, udders swaying, calves trailing.

by Ted

Olson

These two recently published poetry collections are testament to the presence in the Virginia Blue Ridge of a poet who speaks for, and often to, all life-forms — people and natural beings — and who does so with a commendable and rare depth of compassion. Ted Olson is the author of Breathing in Darkness: Poems (Wind Publications, 2006) and Blue Ridge Folklife (University Press of Mississippi, 1998). His experiences as a poet and musician are discussed on the following webpages: www.windpub.com/books/ breathingindarkness.htm and www. SonicBids.com/TedOlson. Poets who would like their poetry to be considered for a future column may send their books and manuscripts to Ted Olson, ETSU, Box 70400, Johnson City, TN 37614. Please include your contact information and a SASE with your submissions.

August 2009 Thursday, August 6, 7:00 p.m. Mary McPhail Standaert presents her Post Card History Series book, Montreat. Friday, August 7, 7:00 p.m. Authors Dwight McCarter and Joe Kelley will read from and sign their book, Meigs Line. Saturday, August 8, 7:00 p.m. Fred Chappell will read from his latest collection of poems, Shadow Box. Wednesday, August 12, 7:00 p.m. Kelley Hunter will discuss Living Lilith. Thursday, August 13, 7:00 p.m. David J. Williams will read from and sign his book, Burning Skies. Friday, August 14, 7:00 p.m. Batt Humphreys will present Dead Weight, a thrilling recreation of a murder trial. Saturday, August 15, 2:00 p.m. Chris Cavender will sign copies of his latest work, A Slice of Murder. Saturday, August 15, 7:00 p.m. Kathryn Magendie presents Tender Graces. Thursday, August 20, 7:00 p.m. John S. Buck will present his book and discuss the principles of Sociocracy. Friday, August 21, 7:00 p.m. Mark de Castrique presents his latest mystery, The Fitzgerald Ruse Saturday, August 22, 7:00 p.m. Erica Eisdorfer will present her debut novel, The Wet Nurse’s Tale. Sunday, August 23, 3:00 p.m. Lore Segal will read from and sign her book, Shakespeare’s Kitchen.

Saturday, August 1 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Haywood County Bookmania at The First Presbyterian Church in Waynesville. Forty-six authors plan to be in attendance, story-teller Doug Elliot will give two performances outside.

Friday, August 7 – 7 p.m. Art After Dark

Saturday, August 15 – 11 a.m.

Meet Dr. Colleen Patricia Jones veterinarian and author of Dr. Paws.

Thursday, August 27, 7:00 p.m. Mindi Meltz presents her novel Beauty. Friday, August 28, 7:00 p.m. R. Dwayne Betts will present his powerful memoir, A Question of Freedom. Saturday, August 29, 7:00 p.m. Amanda Gable reads from and signs The Confederate General Rides North.

55 Haywood St.

828-254-6734 • 800-441-9829 Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday, August 31 – 12 noon

Years later, no more paths spread like capillaries from this hickory, no cattle trample dusty lane, no boy runs through grass chasing calves, chopping thistle.

Celebrating the Great Smoky Mountains 75th Anniversary. Louise Nelson, local author and keeper of history. Bring a brownbag lunch, we will provide the tea.

Instead fluorescent flags, hidden by knee-deep grass, mark boundaries for lots, paved paths, a cul-de-sac.

184 N. Main, Waynesville, NC

Osondu Booksellers (828) 456-8062

www.osondubooksellers.com Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 31

asheville shops

Keep Young Eyes Safe, Stylish With Back-to-School Eyewear

f eyewear is on by Pam J. Hecht your back-toschool shopping ranty. Special guards list, consider a on the front and sides visit to East Side protect both eyes and Optical, in Asheville. nose. The place has what Krasnove is also may be the largest a strong proponent collection around of of sunglasses for kids reasonably-priced of all ages, to protect eyewear for kids. young eyes from Couple that with ultraviolet rays, and the fact that there’s offers a variety of an on-site indepenkids’ sunglasses. For dent ophthalmoloRichard Krasnove, kids who spend equal gist (as opposed to owner of East Side Optical. amounts of time an optometrist) and both indoors and out, it’s practically a nohe recommends transitional lenses, which brainer. The cost is not exorbitant ($55 for a darken in the sun, or the next best thing: typical visit and just $45 more for a contact clip-on sunglass lenses. lens fitting) and it’s a more thorough exam Also specially suited for kids are twistthan those done in a pediatrician’s office. able frames, which are virtually indestrucMeanwhile, the store offers eyewear tible – perfect for the little ones. And for the for babies on up, with a separate room baby/toddler set, glasses with wrap-around called The Locker Room, sporting – you frames stay put behind the ears. guessed it – eye protection for kids who What’s in eyewear vogue? Small, plastic play sports, like basketball, baseball, tennis heavy frames in dark colors are popular and soccer; or who bike, ski or swim. All with the kids, says Krasnove, as with adult eyewear can be fitted with a prescription, if glasses, some of which can also be fitted for necessary. Contact lenses are also available younger people. for both kids and adults, for less than the Another plus at East Side Optical: prices you’ll find online, says store owner “We’re both grandfathers,” says Krasnove, Richard Krasnove. also referring to the store’s ophthalmologist Charles G. Kirby, M.D. “We have a lot of experience with children and we enjoy working with them.”

East Side Optical 1011 Tunnel Rd. Suite 160, Asheville (828) 505-1733

East Side Optical’s computerized eyewear program, Eye Compare.

Krasnove, a 37-year eyewear industry veteran, is passionate about the importance of eye safety for kids. Kids should wear specially-made athletic glasses when playing sports, he says. More than 40,000 sports injuries to the eyes happen every year, most of which can be prevented with appropriate eyewear. “They tell kids who play soccer to wear shin guards, but they don’t put an emphasis on protecting their eyes,” Krasnove adds. All of the sports glasses in Krasnove’s store are made with polycarbonate lenses - the safest kind for kids, that won’t crack or break - and the frames have a lifetime war32 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

www.eastsideopticalasheville.com Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday by appointment Ophthalmologist available for eye exams Tuesdays, Thursdays and one Saturday per month. Accepts most insurance. Ongoing Special Pay $55 for eye exam with any purchase of a complete pair of glasses. Cannot be combined with insurance, discounts or sales.

Pam J. Hecht is a freelance writer and editor based in Asheville, North Carolina. E-mail her at pamjh8@gmail.com.

With Its 2009-2010 Season

here’s by Amanda Leslie something a little funcomedy established ny about Sam Shepard as a North master of American Carolina Stage theatre. Company’s eighth April 7-18, 2010 season. Sure, it’s a NC Stage and season full of comImmediate Theatre edies, but each of Project present these plays reminds the contemporary us that sometimes comedy Dead the biggest laughs Man’s Cell Phone come from the by Sarah Ruhl in darkest times. April. When Jean Since 2002, reluctantly answers NC Stage has been a stranger’s phone, performing in its off she is drawn into Broadway-style theScott Treadway and Charlie Flynn-McIver a relationship atre in the heart of in “True West.” with the phone’s downtown Asheville. owner – one full of The company made love, mystery, and surprising connections. its debut with a bold adaptation of Romeo There’s only one catch: the man is dead. and Juliet by Joe Calarco, called Shakespeare’s R&J, in which four young men played all of May 12-30, 2010 the roles from the classic tragedy. The season closes with the deliciously These days, it might be tempting to naughty farce What the Butler Saw by Joe play it safe – to choose a season of well-worn Orton. A botched seduction attempt sets comedies and comfortably predictable draoff a flurry of scandal in the offices of Dr. ma. Instead, NC Stage has gone in a daring Prentice, involving his wife, her lover, an indirection. The plays in the 2009-10 Season nocent secretary and an incompetent policeare very funny, but they are also whip-smart, man (not to mention certain unmentionable challenging, even a little scary at times. parts of a statue of Winston Churchill). Joe October 21 – November 8 Orton’s 1969 farce is the perfect combination The season opens in October with Marof racy subject matter with dry wit and biting tin McDonagh’s award-winning play The social commentary. Beauty Queen of Leenane, called “dizzyIn between its Mainstage productions ing” and “both comic and ineffably sinister” the theatre is not dark: NC Stage has creby the New York Times. Maureen and her ated several popular series that take place elderly mother spend their days in a vicious throughout the season. The Catalyst Series and funny game of one-upmanship in this (now in its sixth season) hosts some of the bleak comedy set in small-town Ireland. most interesting grassroots performance groups in Asheville, while No Shame TheNovember 27 – December 20 atre continues for a fourth year, presenting In December NC Stage joins forces a late-night, open-mic style series of short with Immediate Theatre Project to present plays once a month. Participants and audithe beloved holiday play It’s a Wonderful ence alike pay just $5 to attend. Life. Now in its fourth year, this heartwarming story of friendship, love and sacrifice in times of financial struggle has become more relevant than ever. After moving to the Diana Wortham Theatre last season, It’s a Wonderful Life returns to NC Stage for an extended 4-week run. This show is not included in subscription packages.

February 17 – March 7, 2010 The popular comedy duo Scott Treadway and Charlie Flynn-McIver play a pair of estranged brothers in Sam Shepard’s True West. One brother is an upstanding screenwriter, the other a petty thug – but which is which? This brilliant and dangerous

stage preview

North Carolina Stage Company Dares You To Laugh

Award-Winning Crazy Bag

sheville resident Murphy Funkhouser shows off the junk in her trunk(s) in the autobiographical onewoman show Crazy Bag. Crazy Bag tells the life-story of Funkhouser, once a rebellious minister’s daughter who dropped out of Bible College, went wild, lived in her car and called 6 cities home in 10 years. Now all “grown-up” (with a successful career and a daughter in kindergarten), Funkhouser wakes one morning to find the baggage of her life has spilled out and she must determine how to help her daughter avoid making the same mistakes. Funkhouser is also a stand-up comedian who makes healthy use of humor while unloading her burdens. The

show is a fast-paced revelation of a remarkable, frequently outrageous journey from barroom to motherhood, rebellion to redemption. Says Funkhouser, “Claiming your baggage is liberating. I dream of a day people are lugging their baggage out into the yard and dancing in celebration of it. There should be no shame in the life well-traveled.” For more details visit www.crazybag.net. At the North Carolina Stage Company (15 Stage Lane) August 6-15. Tickets are $15 Friday and Saturday, $12 for Thursday performances. Available at (828) 239-0263 or www.ncstage.org.

If You Go:

Subscriptions are on sale now for the theatre’s Mainstage Season. The theatre offers a popular “FlexPass” package, with 10 to 24% off full-priced tickets, and the flexibility to pick performance dates. Patrons who subscribe before September 1 receive special perks, including discounts on single tickets, and It’s a Wonderful Life. For more information and a full calendar of events, visit www.ncstage.org or call (828) 239-0263.

If You Go

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 33

thoreau’s garden

Moles and Voles in the Garden

have long been a friend shrew) and now resembles of the mole and bemoan the B & O rail-yards and not when a garden cat leaves a swath of peaceful grass. a mole by the backWell this year is certaindoor as a token to their ly not one of the worst mole masters for their accepting years on record because their my keep. numbers are usually tied to According to English last summer and what has historical lore, Jacobite symturned out to be a less than pathizers once toasted “The bumper crop of grubs, espegentleman in black velvet,” cially Japanese beetles. Peter examines the after King William III died Moles are little mamblossoms of earlyafter his horse stumbled over mals with tiny eyes, small blooming Lenten roses. a mole hill and threw him concealed ears, and very violently to the ground. And pretty, soft iridescent fur. one wonders if calling a secret agent a mole They live almost entirely underground, is right on when confronted with this great, feeding on smaller animal life, especially and shy, mammal of the garden. earthworms and grubs. I Last year when the snows of winter repeat moles do not eat melted, the gardeners of the colder parts of bulbs or roots. They will the country were confronted by a wealth of chew through them if damage to plants caused by voles. This year the plants are in the way I’ve heard some cries of despair echoing as but they do not ingest everyone goes out to the front lawn sees that Vole – Illustration by sea of green is now traversed with tunnels Peter Loewer. dug by moles (along with an occasional

34 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

Peter Loewer

Everywhere I the results of turned, the ground, their chewing. the hay mulches, They are generthe backyard ally beneficial to lawn, and piles of gardens especially leaves were tunwhen it comes neled through and to consuming through. Where vast numbers of grasses touched vociferous grubs. the trunks of small I do admit that in trees and bushes their zeal to delike my arctic wilvour moles often Mole – Illustration by Peter Loewer. low or my Himado some damage layan honeysuckle, by heaving up the the bark was chewed unmercifully. My soil, causing the grass to dry out quickly and entire line of lavender was eaten right down creating unsightly ridges or tunnel-tops: A to soil level, and blast them voles had taken sight that irritates some people more than all the leaves of the lambs tongue and ripped paying taxes. them up for nesting material. Now there are some methThe Complete Guide to American ods used to remove moles but Wildlife has this to say about the vole: outside of cyanide gas — dan“Voles are best known to many readers by gerous to both the mole and the the popular name of ‘meadow mice.’ Voles man — or hooking up a hose to have long, grayish brown fur, short ears and the exhaust of a car — messy to the tails, and beady eyes. Their tails are more lawn and dangerous to everybody than an inch long, and are not brightly — nothing is sure. colored. They live on the ground usually in Catalogs sell windmills that feature grassy terrain, where they make inch wide spikes in the ground and supposed to make runways, leaving behind cut grass stems and a rumbling noise in the earth, scaring them are active at all hours. They can swim and away but I don’t think it works; they still dive. In winter they make round holes to must dig tunnels and hunt for food. the surface through the snow. Their voice is Poison bait isn’t such a good idea a high-pitched squeak. They eat grass, roots, especially if you have a cat, dog, or child bark, and seeds. They construct a nest of that is valuable to you. There is an effective plant material on the ground, and there are biological control called Milky Spore that usually five to seven young. inoculates your soil with a fungal disease The vole that did the damage to our which infects the grubs but bothers nothing gardens this year is known as Microtus else. The problem with this product is the pennsylvanicus, the meadow vole. They time it takes to affect a cure, often more are between three and five inches long with than a year. an average two-inch tail and were known So before going out and putting a toxic as Danny Meadow Mouse in the “Burgess waste dump in your back yard to do away Bedtime Stories.” In good vole years a with the little pests, or driving up the family population of fifteen to an acre can increase car to gas them out, how about thinking to hundreds of voles and obviously that ahead to next July and the damage done kind of growth explosion is not wanted in by the beetles to the garden and the favors anybody’s back yard. the moles have done for you. It should be Our garden cat, Manet, has tried to remembered that the number of moles is in do his bit with the vole menace: Every few direct proportion to the food supply and if afternoons, a freshly-killed subject shows up your back yard and garden has a surfeit of on the door mat in front of the back door moles, it probably needs them. and I’m sure there are many more that he’s Instead buy a pair of those plastic shoes dispatched out in the garden and the fields with spikes used to aerate the lawn (not as beyond. someone thought, to kill the moles) and Gardening in the mountains is never walk over those tunnels, then plant some that easy but the rains have returned and grass seed, rake it up a bit, and by mid-June this past spring remains one of the most you’ll never know they were there. beautiful in years and by mid-September, As to voles: Earlier in the year I went the vole will be a faint remembrance of out into the garden to check on the damages things that have past. wrought by the past weeks of ice and chill, coupled with last winter being the coldest in eighteen years. A few plants that had lived through the past five winters, gave up the Peter Loewer is a well-known writer leaf in this one. But by far the worst damage and botanical artist who has written and was perpetrated by our little furry friend, illustrated over twenty-five books on natural the vole. history over the past thirty years.

fine art

Robert Crystal Exhibition at Grovewood Gallery

ew Works: Murals, by Cornwall, Vermont artist Robert Crystal, opens August 14 in Grovewood’s Spotlight Gallery. Dynamic wall pieces of various sizes and glaze combinations will be featured in this solo exhibition. All of Crystal’s work is of stoneware clay, high-fired in a gas reduction kiln. In addition to large murals, Crystal’s handmade, functional and decorative pottery will also be on display. An artist’s reception, open to the public, will be held on Saturday, August 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Crystal has been making pottery since 1969 when he stumbled into the ceramic studio at the University of Maryland. It was then that he decided to pursue ceramics as his life’s work. “The dynamic quality of

“Orchid” by Robert Crystal

Robert Crystal, potter

wheel work made me a thrower,” he says “and functional clay became my focus. I loved the idea of pots for use — that something I made might become part of someone’s everyday life.” He adds, “There has always been something exciting about creat-

ing pieces that people can use and improve their daily lives with the personal input that only handmade work can impart.” Lately, Crystal has experimented with work that is larger and more decorative, a cross between more traditional visual arts and sculpture. In an effort to expand the possibilities of ceramic art, he turned to slab work, which enables him to work on a much larger scale. “With this technique I’ve been able to make pieces that offer much more in way of decoration and scope,” says the artist. “I am no longer limited by the wheel. I am now able to create to whatever space challenges me.” Crystal’s more traditional pottery

“Pandora” by Robert Crystal

is shown nationally at 8 - 10 art shows a year and in 50 galleries in the U.S. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the American Craft Council and given workshops at Arrowmont School of Arts and Craft, Canton Clayworks, Jacksonville University in Florida, and the University of Maryland. For more information on New Works: Murals, contact Grovewood Gallery at (828) 253-7651. Works from this exhibition will be available to view online at www.grovewood.com.

If You Go:

Drawings: Foundations of Fine Art

ichard Overby Danna Anderson smith will be conducting a of Richard’s new still life demwork brings colleconstration at 16 tors and admirers Patton Fine Art Gallery to the gallery with on Friday, August 7 anticipation and from 5 to 8 p.m. admiration for this With formal traingifted artist. ing in Fine Art and The group Illustration at Kendall exhibition Drawings: College of Art and Foundations of Fine Design in Grand Rapids, Art opens at 16 Pat“Biltmore Garden Party” painting Michigan, plus studies by Richard Oversmith. ton Saturday August at the Royal College of 29 with a recepArt in London and six months in residence with his family in Dinan, tion from 6 to 8 p.m. Copies of the artist’s new hardcover book Richard Oversmith: France (northeast Brittany), Richard pursues Selected Works 2006 – 2009 are available his work as one who has found his true place at the gallery. The exhibition runs through in the world of fine art. According to Richard, October 4, 2009. “the France trip was a huge turning point in my career and ever since then it’s been full speed ahead.” Richard Oversmith: Recent Richard has been included in many local If Works at 16 Patton Fine Art and regional publications. American Art ColYou Gallery, (828) 236-2889 16 lector featured a full length article highlightAvenue in Asheville. Go: Patton Visit www.16patton.com. ing his work produced in France. Each body

Biltmore Estate in Autumn – 4-Day Plein Air Workshop with Richard Oversmith October, 14-17. Tuition: $500. Twelve month pass to Biltmore included. Maximum students: 10. Workshop will take place on the Biltmore Estate. Designed for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced student to improve their plein air oil painting skills. Emphasis will be put on simplifying a composition, values, edges, and color, and to create paintings that have unity. Contact Richard Oversmith at richardoversmith@gmail.com or by phone at (828) 299-1066 to register or for more details.

Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 35

Saturday, August 1

Mariam Matossian featuring Free Planet Radio The North Carolina debut of Armenian-Canadian vocalist Mariam Matossian featuring the instrumental “World Music Supergroup” Free Planet Radio. Melodies and rhythms of the ancient Armenian culture. Tickets $12. Show starts 8 p.m. at White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd. (828) 669-0816. For more information visit www.whitehorseblackmountain.com, or www. mariammatossian.com.

Sunday, August 2 and Monday, August 3

Auditions for Jane Eyre – the Musical The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will hold auditions for its production of “Jane Eyre; the musical” at 6:30 p.m. The show is scheduled to open in October for a three weekend run. “Jane Eyre” is set in England of the 1840’s and is a sweeping romantic take with a beautiful score much in the spirit of “South Pacific” and “The Sound of Music.” The show contains roles for men and women

How to place an event/ classified listing with Rapid River Art Magazine Any “free” event open to the public can be listed at no charge up to 30 words. For all other events there is a $9.95 charge up to 30 words and 10 cents for each additional word. 160 word limit per event. Sponsored listings (shown in boxes) can be purchased for $12 per column inch. Deadline is the 19th of each month. Payment must be made prior to printing. Email Beth Gossett at: ads@rapidrivermagazine.com or mail to: 85 N. Main St, Canton, NC 28716. Or Call: (828) 6460071 to place ad over the phone.

– Disclaimer – Due to the overwhelming number of local event submissions we get for our “What to Do Guide” each month, we can no longer accept entries that do not specifically follow our publication’s format. Non-paid event listings must be 30 words or less and both paid and non-paid listings must provide information in the following format: date, time, brief description of what your event is and any contact information. Any entries not following this format will not be considered for publication.

what to do guide

of various ages and young girls of various ages. HART’s production is being directed by Art O’Neil and music directed by Melodie Galloway. Anyone interested in auditioning should come prepared to sing, preferably with sheet music. Anyone interested in being involved in the production, on stage or off are encouraged to come by either night of auditions. For more information: (828) 4566322, or hartthea@bellsouth.net.

Friday, August 7 For the month of August, the F.W. Front Gallery at Woolworth Walk will feature the watercolor paintings of local artist Janis Lape. Opening reception August 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. Also enjoy the coinciding art walk.

Friday, August 7

Beau Soleil to Perform Grammy-winning BeauSoleil is the best known Cajun band in the world. Bandleader Michael Doucet is often credited as the key figure in popularizing Cajun music. $20 for adults; $10 for kids 12 and under. Show begins at 8 p.m. At White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Road, Black Mountain, NC. (828) 669-0816. Visit www. whitehorseblackmountain.com for more information.

™

Summer Tracks,Tryon’s summer concert series, continues in Rogers Park. Concerts run from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is free, though a voluntary donation at the gate is encouraged. There will wood-fired pizza, homemade ice cream, water, and soft drinks for sale.

The Colburn Earth Science Museum is happy to announce that the 2009 – 2010 seasons of Junior Rockhounds and Science Sisters are open for registration. The popular clubs each meet once a month in the museum from 4:00 to 4:45 pm and are a fun way for kids to expand their scientific horizons in safe and exciting surroundings. The clubs run from September though May.

Scheduled Performances: (swampy blues), Brian Ashley Jones (Americana)

August 21 – Sol Driven Train (opening set will be their children’s show, followed by their mix of world beat and funk.)

September 4 – The Work (rock, jazz, funk)

For more information contact Polk County Travel and Tourism at 800-440-7848 or call (828) 894-2324. Visit www. firstpeaknc.com.

The Market takes place on Domino Lane and in Christopher’s Garden in East West Asheville, just off Haywood Road and behind Harvest Records, from 12 to 4 p.m. Patrons can drop off canned food and non-perishables for the MANNA FoodBank Neighborhood Food Drive, and purchase bowls to benefit MANNA FoodBank. More information is available at www.2ndSaturday. blogspot.com or by contacting Lori Theriault, (828) 333-0622 or lori@ crazygreenstudios.com.

Sunday, August 16

Asheville Storytelling Circle

Saturday, August 8

Residents of Asheville and the surrounding areas are invited to a telloff of “Folktales and Foolishness,” beginning at 6 p.m. The gathering is free and open to the public, and will be held at Buncombe County Recreation Park Pavilion #1. Listeners are reminded to bring chairs or blankets for seating.

Artists and craftspeople from all mediums, including ceramics, jewelry, clothing, metal work, soy candles

Buncombe County “Rec Park” is located at 72 Gashes Creek Road adjacent to the WNC Nature Center. Monthly meetings are held on

2nd Saturday Artist Market

Rockhounds and Science Sisters

and wood. Additional artists set up in Christopher’s Garden and at the adjoining Flash Studios on Waynesville Avenue. Coffee and treats from nearby Izzy’s Coffee Den will be available at Domino Lane. Paintings by Janice Lape on display through August 30, 2009. Woolworth Walk, 25 Haywood Street in Asheville, NC. Gallery Hours: Mon-Thurs. 11-6, Fri. and Sat. 11-7, Sun 11-5. Phone (828) 254-9234 for more details.

Summer Tracks

August 7 – Delta Moon

Painting from Dreams - with Colors that Sing

Junior Rockhounds Club is for children ages 6 to 10 who are interested in rocks and minerals. At the very first meeting each Rockhound receives a collector’s box and a book about rocks. Science Sisters is a special club for girls only. Girls in grades 3 through 5 meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Every meeting features a different female scientist explaining her career and leading the girls in a fun, hands-on experiment. Rockhounds and Science Sisters each cost $45 for Colburn Earth Science Museum members and $60 for the general public. For more information or to register your child, call (828) 254-7162 or stop by the museum in the lower level of Pack Place. Visit www.colburnmuseum.org for more information

the 3rd Monday of each month at 7 p.m., (except August), at Asheville Terrace Apartments Community Room, 200 Tunnel Road. New members and guests welcome.

Sunday, August 16

Haywood Community Band Concert The Haywood Community Band will present its fourth concert of the Maggie Valley Concert Series at 6:30 p.m. This free concert will be held at the pavilion next to the Maggie Valley Town Hall. The theme for this concert will be “The Band’s Favorite Tunes,” and will feature memorable melodies such as West Side Story, Stormy Weather, and A Tribute to Henry Mancini. A special number, Tuscola Mountain Celebration will featured by the band. While refreshments will not be available at the concert, bring a picnic dinner and enjoy a beautiful Maggie Valley sunset. For more information call John Barrett at (828) 452-5553, or Bob Hill at (828) 452-7530, or visit www. haywoodcommunityband.org.

iacmusic.com Song Contest Free to enter – $27,000+ in prizes. Got a song you know is good? There are 16 genre categories to choose from. The Grand Prize includes $1000 worth of musical equipment, 2 weeks stay in a condo suite,

an iPod Shuffle, and a IAC Prime Perpetual Lifetime membership. There are also 3 nice prizes in each category. You can enter any original song. You will get a lot of additional exposure by advancing to the later rounds of the competition. Go here for the details, www.iacmusic.com/ yearoftheindie.htm.

Annual Workshop and Plein Air Painters’ Forum August 27-30 The Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAP-SE) is offering an end-of-summer plein air painting workshop. Artists and art students are invited to join us, whether to take our workshop, or to meet for a weekend rendezvous with plein air groups from around the Southeast. PAP-SE artists will gather at the Leatherwood Mountains resort community to paint landscapes on August 25-27, with a workshop to follow on August 27-30. Workshop cost is $450. For workshop reservations and info, e-mail or call Diane C. May dianecmay@aol.com, (615) 4145453. Visit www.pap-se.com for more details.

August Events ~ Announcements ~ Classifieds 36 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

2009 Concerts at St. Matthias

what to do guide

WICKWIRE fine art/folk art presents “Color Notes” new oil paintings by artist Mary Brummett. Meet the Artist from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, August 7. Live music by local singer/ songwriter Lynn Goldsmith. Refreshments served. “Color Notes” continues through Monday, August 31.

Trio will perform a concert of old-time and Celtic music on flute, guitar, double bass, and hammered dulcimer as well as vocals.

WICKWIRE “…where the heart finds art,” 330 N. Main Street, downtown Hendersonville, NC. Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 1-4 p.m. For more details call (828) 692-6222 or visit www.wickwireartgallery.com.

September 6 – String Quartet September 20 – Musicke Antiqua Recorder Consort

September 27 – Pyramid Brass Quintet

Best in Show

Summer Music in Flat Rock

Friday, August 7

August 16 – The Sweetwater

™

Mary Brummett Exhibit at WICKWIRE

Concerts take place Sundays at 3 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

by Phil Juliano

October 4 – Piano and Strings October 11 – Warren Wilson

Saturday, August 1 – Tom Fisch. Saturday, September 5 – Angela Easterling Saturday, October 3 – Rock Killough Concerts are held on the first Saturday of the month through October. The concerts will be held in Flat Rock on Little Rainbow Row’s back deck (behind the colorful shops, corner of Greenville Highway and West Blue Ridge Road) from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a casual, family oriented, bring-yourlawn-chair outdoor event, weather permitting. Food and beverages will be available from Flat Rock Village Bakery and Hubba Hubba Smokehouse. Off street parking will be designated with limited handicap accessibility. For further information, call Hand in Hand Gallery at (828) 697-7719 or visit www.flatrockonline.com.

College Folk Choir

October 18 – Gunugn Biru Gamalan Ensemble

Depot Street Studios August Workshops

October 25 – Van-Anthony Hall Art Songs

November 1 – Chamber Orchestra

November 8 – Mountains of Asheville Flue Ensemble

Callie & Cats

by Amy Downs

November 15 – CornoCopia Horn Choir

December 13 – Sunday, 3:30

p.m. Reynolds-Miller Chorale Christmas Concert There is no fixed charge for the concerts, but free-will offering will be taken for the restoration of the beautiful and historic St. Matthias Church. The church is located just off South Charlotte Street at Max Street on the hill across from the Asheville Public Works Building (1 Dundee St.).

For more information and/or an application call (828) 252-5050 or visit www.fineartsleague.org.

Corgi Tales

by Phil Hawkins

The Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival

Three blocks of N. Lexington Ave in downtown Asheville will be brimming with local art, food, beer, music, street performers, and random acts of creativity from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Between College Street and the I-240 overpass. For more information visit www.lexfestasheville.com

2009 Late Summer Classes and Demos Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts, located in the River Arts District near downtown Asheville, offers classes and workshops for children to adults at all skill levels. Odyssey recently expanded their offerings to include weekend demonstrations, Wet Clay Birthday Parties, one 18 week Adult class and Saturday classes.

Sunday, September 6

Arts 2 People is excited to bring you the 8th Annual FREE, Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival (LAAFF)! Join us in the annual end-of-summer celebration of Asheville’s artistic and musical communities.

A unique array of classes that range from book arts to pastel and watercolor classes to art/photography classes. Depot Street Studios is a complimentary educational extension of the Fine Arts League and offers the high level of artistic training found at the school with an alternative schedule of weekends and week-long intensives that some students and professionals require.

The World of Cylinders, Becca Floyd, Wednesdays, 6:30-9 p.m. (9 or 18 weeks).

Dragin

by Michael Cole

Western Raku & Sawdust Firing, Holly Desaillan, Saturdays, 10:30-1 p.m. (9 weeks). Kinder Klay, Barbara Perez, Saturdays, 10-11:30 a.m., ages 3-5. August 8 – September 12. For additional information call (828) 285-0210, visit www.highwaterclays.com, or email Cara Gilpin at odyssey@highwaterclays.com.

Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts 236 Clingman Ave, Asheville, NC

Classes ~ Lectures ~ arts & crafts ~ readings Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 37

fine art

Identity Crisis Artists Have Much to Gain From Tackling Their Self-Promotional Materials

as a visual artist by Greg Vineyard in Asheville’s River Arts about what they do (or District – and as wish to do). a regular gallery Some folks just need and show-hopper downguidance on how to coax town and throughout the main thought out of the region – I encounter it all, and then some dia wide variety of artists’ rection on how to create marketing and sales cola more streamlined packlateral. age of only what they I’m constantly evaluneed. It’s useful to have ating logos and business Greg Vineyard Photo by a plan on paper even cards and brochures and BobPazdenPhotography.com if today’s not the day the like: Does the logo to pick that next main accurately represent the image, or to start a logo artist? Do the visuals show redesign or hire a photogArtists are faced the art well? Are tag-lines rapher. But knowing the doing their job? Do artist with the dual, timeintended resource allotstatements support the main competing roles of ment of time and money message? helps one prepare and being "Makers" and Artists are faced with have a structure to follow the dual, time-competing "Marketers." when the time comes to roles of being “Makers” and take one’s identity out of “Marketers.” Opportunities crisis mode. arise quickly, and people Some categorical thoughts: 1) Readirespond with whatever images are handy, ness: Have something rather than notholder artist statements, incomplete bio’s, ing, and develop a plan for the future; 2) hastily-ordered business cards … the result Fluidity: It’s OK to change things in the over time can be that our core truth about face of our economy, advancing technolowhat we passionately create and share with gies and new artistic visions; 3) Consistency: the world is muted by visual and written Whatever the plan is or becomes, apply a communications that are disembodied from new or revised identity evenly, everywhere; our original intentions. 4) Perseverance: Don’t give up! We always Perhaps a style of work has changed so get another chance to tackle our strategic a quintessential image needs to be archived, self-promotional materials; 5) Simplicity: or several shows need to be listed on a The plan doesn’t have to be complicated revised bio and the website is out of date. – in most cases, artists benefit from focus Time slipped by without taking that photogand small actions; 6) Trust the universe: A raphy workshop, or updating the bio and good first step in looking at all this identity jumping on the computer to overhaul the stuff is to just be grateful to be an artist in website. It’s all daunting amidst pots to glaze Asheville/WNC! and paintings to be finished… The good news is, most artists have something, and that’s commendable. Greg Vineyard is a visual and ceramic artist However, it helps to tackle creating a in the River Arts District who escaped to comprehensive visual and written plan so Asheville after more than twenty years in that customers and future consumers alike corporate positions that focused on design encounter consistent, clear (and multiple) and creative direction, logos, identity, impressions in our fantastic arts and crafts branding and design project management. marketplace. Logos, taglines, visuals, text and takeaways presented in a cohesive manGreg sums up his consulting work as: “Branding Triage & Creative Wayfinding: ner as part of a strategic plan create brand Unflinching Analysis of Your Visual and recognition and avert subconscious confuMarketing-Communications Materials.” sion for shoppers, as well as provide the artHe believes there’s room for everyone, and ist with materials they can hand out or email he views any artistic expression that flows with confidence. through us as a spiritual process. More good news: most artists already have what they need to proceed. The Works on display at: Constance Williams artwork itself exists, and many already have Fine Art, 12 Riverside Dr. Open daily 11 visuals and some self-descriptive copy. Othto 4 p.m.; Odyssey Studios & Gallery, 238 ers have too much of everything and need to Clingman. Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-4. condense. Everyone has concrete thoughts Visit www.riverdistrictartists.com.

38 August 2009 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 12, No. 12

“E

your health

Exercise – Part II

xercise – how do I do that?” Many people think exercise is a basketball game or mowing the lawn once a week – or a strenuous workout on Sunday followed by several days of regret. In the nineteenth century exercise was how you lived your life. Every activity of daily living required fairly strenuous and continuous exercise. But in the modern life of convenience and technology, exercise has to be planned into the life. To review our discussion from the last article – there are four basic exercise modes – cardiovascular, stretching, strength training and balance. The last health article discussed strength training, especially for the muscles of the extremities. Now we take up balance – and core musculature. The muscles that line the center of the body – the muscles of the spine, the chest and the abdomen make up the “core” musculature. These muscles provide a firm foundation, control and stability – a solid platform from which the muscles of the extremities can function. An upright posture is the result of balance and strength in the core muscles. Each of these areas of the core – balance and strength – can be addressed at the same time through any one or a combination of routines. 1. Pilates is a system of stretching and strengthening core muscles that combines positions and exercises on a mat with some special equipment exercises. It is usually done in a group with a trainer/leader and is most effective when a personal trainer designs a course of exercise specifically for you. Some of the basic moves can be used with other forms of core muscle work. 2. Yoga is a system of body positions that are moved into and held for a time period, usually as a part of a mat exercise routine. These positions stretch and strengthen specific muscle groups. An entire routine will move you through all the muscle groups, especially the core muscle groups. It is most easily learned in a group setting with a teacher. Once you know the routine and some of the basic positions, you can design your own routine that flows from one position to the next.

Max Hammonds, MD

3. Core muscles are exercised best as a part of routines that involve groups of muscles, rather than the strength building routines that exercise one muscle at a time. Lunges, push-ups, squats, abdominal crunches, and bent-over rowing engage multiple muscle groups, including the core muscles of the spine and abdomen. There are lots of books, DVD’s, and classes where all of these are taught. Get the picture? A routine of positions requiring you to stretch and hold positions, then move into the next position, interspersed with group muscle exercises – this is exercising and strengthening the core. Once you are familiar with the various ways this might be done, you can design your own routine to do this, varying it from day to day according to your mood and need. In the process of doing this routine, of stretching into and holding these various positions, you have to stay balanced. Balance is achieved by having groups of muscles work against each other, one set of muscles pulling one way and another set pulling the other way. In some positions several sets of muscles are competing. The coordination of these various competitions is balance. Some routines are specifically designed to create challenges to balance; some routines require balance as an integral part of the positions used. Balance is not something you work on; it something you achieve by doing the routine. With firm core muscles the other exercise modalities become easier – strengthening of specific muscle groups and the cardiovascular work out. Many of the postural problems – slouching in chairs, leaning over computer desks, walking hunched over – are corrected by the mental image of the positions used in the core muscle routine. The core muscle routine is done slowly, allowing mental relaxation. The balance and strength of the core is not additional, it is foundational to a good exercise program. When planning your total exercise program, don’t ignore the core!

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Vol. 12, No. 12 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — August 2009 39